


An Angel In the Woods

by JenniR



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Anal Sex, F/M, Light BDSM, Oral Sex, Smut, Spanking, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-23
Updated: 2017-09-03
Packaged: 2018-11-18 01:00:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 73
Words: 191,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11280456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JenniR/pseuds/JenniR
Summary: Daryl and Aaron find a beautiful girl in the woods.  Who is she?  Where did she come from?  Can she be trusted?  They take her back to Alexandria, and she changes Daryl's life forever.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> the beginning of this fic takes place around season 5, episode 13 “Forget”, when Aaron and Daryl go out to search for survivors. It was written before we knew hardly anything about the Wolves, and the Saviors weren’t even known, nor did we know about The Hilltop or The Kingdom. There are characters in this story who died in the series, as well as some pairings that didn’t happen. It is the first fic, I ever wrote, and people seemed to like it when it was posted to FB writing/fanfic groups. With all of that in mind, I hope you enjoy it.

Angel ran.  She ran as if her life depended on it, because it DID.  If those creeps managed to catch up to her...she didn’t want to think about it.  She had gotten away, and they were pissed.   
She had gotten one good, lucky kick in.   
Now she was running through the woods barefoot, wearing only a bra and a panties.  The duct tape on her mouth was making it hard to breathe, but with her wrists taped together behind her back, she couldn’t take it off.  When she got far enough away, when she got safe, she could probably rub it against the trees until it came off.   
But she wasn’t far enough away.   
She wasn’t safe.

So she kept running.

Her bare feet were getting torn by the rocks and debris on the forest floor, and her arms, legs, and chest were getting scratched from the branches as she ran past them.   
Angel knew they weren’t far behind, those two monsters who called themselves men.  Those damn “Deliverance” rejects.  Three girls had already been killed that she knew of, and she would never forget those screams of agony as long as she lived.  She refused to be their fourth victim, not without a fight.   
‘ _ Come on, girl,’  _ she told herself.  ‘ _ Keep going, you’ll be safe soon….’ _ __   
She couldn’t remember when she had run so much.  When herds of those things came through, she would just shimmy up a tree and wait quietly for them to pass.   
She turned her head to see if she could spot them following her.  When she did, her foot got caught on a tree root, and she went down.  With her hands unable to break her fall, she landed hard on her right shoulder, letting out a grunt of pain behind the tape.   
She heard a man’s voice say,  “What tha hell?”  Suddenly a worn pair of workboots appeared in front of her.   
Angel raised her eyes.  It wasn’t one of the men after her.  The boots belonged to a guy who looked like a typical redneck: dirty jeans, a button front flannel shirt with the sleeves ripped off, and a leather vest.  He had a crossbow in his hand that he lowered to the ground as he stared at the girl in front of him.

He seemed as  surprised to see the girl as she was to see him.  Another guy appeared behind him, clean cut and looking like he had stepped out of an L.L. Bean catalog.   
Angel struggled to sit up as the men looked at her.  The clean cut one took a step toward her, saying, “Dear god, what happened?  Let me help you.”   
She scrambled backwards, still on the ground, afraid it was a trick.  After going months without seeing another living person, and having the first ones she saw turn out to be psychos, she wasn’t about to trust anyone.   
Daryl and Aaron looked at the girl, barefoot, half naked, and essentially bound and gagged in the middle of the woods.   
Aaron, crouched down and reached for her again.  She scooted back again, her eyes wild and full of fear as she backed up against a tree and had nowhere else to go.  Aaron approached her slowly.  “Miss, please, let me help you.  I’m not going to hurt you.”     
Angel closed her eyes as a flood of tears ran down her face.  Aaron and Daryl looked at each other, then Daryl started to scan the forest.  Someone was after this girl, and they planned to hurt her.   
Aaron moved behind her, pulled out a knife and cut through the duct tape.  She opened her eyes and looked at him.  He held  out his hands.  “Let me help you up.”  He helped her stand, as she pulled the tape off of her mouth.     
“Please….please….help me….”   
  
Her quiet pleading broke Aaron’s heart.  Just then two men came into the clearing, both with  guns drawn. One of them spoke, “I see you found our property.  We’ll just be taking her back now, son.”   
Angel began to step backwards and shake her head.  She turned to Aaron, and said, “No.  Please.”  That’s when she noticed the guy with the crossbow was gone.  God damn it.  She hadn’t pegged him as a coward.  All she had was L.L. Bean to help her, and all he had was a knife.   
“Gentlemen,” Aaron said, “it seems as though she doesn’t want to go with you.”   
One of the psycho hillbillies spat on the ground.  “Don’t matter.  We found her, she’s ours.  Step aside.”   
Aaron turned to step in front of Angel.  “I’m sorry, I can’t.  She doesn’t want to go with you, so I can’t let you take her.”   
  
The men chuckled.  One raised his gun when an arrow came out of nowhere and went right through his head.  The other one, momentarily distracted, was rushed by Aaron.  As they fought over his gun, Angel simply walked over, took the dead man’s gun, and put it to the other guy’s head.  He froze, and Aaron took away the gun they had been fighting for.  Angel stood over the man, gun pointed to his head, as Daryl came out of the woods with his crossbow pointed at him as well.  The hillbilly sneered at her and said, “You ain’t got the guts.”  She lowered the gun from his face, aimed at his legs, and shot out both kneecaps.   
She turned to the two men and over his screams, simply said, “Leave him here.  He deserves what will happen to him.  I suggest we leave, the noise will draw those things.”  With that she started limping away.


	2. Chapter 2

Daryl watched this crazy half naked girl start to limp away  She had scars all over her back.  Knife cuts, and they were old ones from the look of them.  Aaron said to her, “Wait... here…”  She turned around as he rummaged in his backpack, finally coming up with a pair of sweatsocks.  He handed them to her, saying, “They’re clean, I promise.  It will help your feet some…”   Angel reached out and took them.  She sat down on a nearby stump, and turned up one foot then the other, surveying the damage.  Just superficial scratches and cuts, nothing serious.  She put the socks on, realizing that she probably looked ridiculous standing there in a pair of men’s sweatsocks and her underwear.  She turned to him and said, “Thanks,” then started limping away again.  She got only a few steps before Aaron spoke again.  “Where are you headed?  Will you be ok?”   
She turned and faced the men.  L.L. Bean guy looked honestly concerned, while redneck guy looked at her, and then down at his shoes.  She said simply, “I have to go back to their cabin.”   
“Why the hell ya wanna do that?”  Daryl asked.   
“I have to.  Those guys are dead.  They were the only ones.  My weapons are back there, plus food and hopefully clothes.  I don’t want to traipse around the forest in my underoos.  You’re welcome to come with.”   
She turned and started limping away again.  Aaron and Daryl looked at each other, shrugged,  then followed her.  Daryl took off his vest and handed it to her.  “Here.  It’ll cover ya up a bit.”  She took it from him and put it on.  “Thanks Mr…?”   
“Just Daryl.  No mister.”  She turned to the guy she had mentally referred to as  L.L. Bean.  “You got a name, guy?”   
“Aaron.”   
“I’m Angel.”   
  
Then continued on in silence for a while.  When they came to a creek, they stopped to rest and drink some water.  Angel went downstream a bit, took off the sweat socks, and put her feet in the water, cringing as she did so.   
“Hurt bad?” Daryl asked her.   
“It stings a little.  Mostly just cold.”   
“We got a first aid kit, but prolly won’t do ya no good until ya can at least get some shoes on.”   
“Yeah.  We aren’t too far.  I remember….” she faltered a bit, “I remember running through here….it wasn’t far…”  She waded across and they all waited for her toes to dry so she could put her socks back on.   
  
“Um, Angel?”  Aaron asked after they had walked for a bit, “What happened?”  She came to a stop, and Aaron worried that he had upset her.  But she pointed, and said, “There it is.”   
It was a nondescript cabin, so overgrown that you might miss it.  Daryl asked, “Was this your place?”   
She shook her head.  “No, it’s just where they brought us.  Maybe they lived here.  Don’t really know or care.”   
  
They followed her up the porch steps.  The door was still wide open from when she ran.  She paused in the doorway.  ‘ _ Get ahold of yourself, girl.  They’re dead.’   _ She stepped inside and started to shake.  Aaron and Daryl went through the few other rooms, and deemed them secure.  When they came back, she was holding up a shirt and pants.  “These were mine.  Useless now.”  They had been cut off of her.  She found her boots, and when she pushed the broken down couch aside, a compound bow and some arrows.  She happily said, “Have I missed you!”     
“That yours?” Daryl questioned.   
“Yes.  Compound bow, 30 pound pull, and 16 carbon arrows.  You got a problem with that, Mr. Crossbow?”   
Man, she had a bad attitude.   
“You said this was where they brought ‘us’.  Are there others?”  Aaron questioned.   
“No.  I was the last.  They kept us there,” she pointed to a door in the floor.   
  
Aaron and Angel stayed up top to tend to her feet while Daryl went down to investigate.  It was a concrete basement, maybe had been a fruit cellar at one point.  There were chains.  Connected to steel hooks in the wall.  If the door was closed, it was probably black as night.   
  
He went back upstairs.  Angel had found some men’s pants that we’re close to her size and a belt to help hold them up, plus a few flannel shirts.  She handed back Daryl back his vest.  “Thanks for allowing me to keep some of my modesty.  It’s a nice vest.  I like the wings.”  He just nodded and put it back on.

Aaron asked, “So what was down there?”  Before Daryl could answer, Angel said, “Hell.”   
  
Daryl asked her, “What went on here?  Ya said there were others.  Where are they?  We need some answers, girl.”   
  
Angel sat on the edge of the couch and sighed.    
  
“I was by myself.  I was staying somewhere else, and I was doing ok.  I would hunt or fish, scavenge sometimes.  Found a few fruit trees.  I was ok.  I thought that maybe everyone was dead.  I hadn’t seen a live person in months, so I figured there weren’t any left.  So when I hunted or was out, if I heard footsteps, it was those things.  They’re pretty damn slow, so I could outrun them.  Well, there was a well near where I was staying.  I had gone to get some water.  I heard footsteps, and thought it was those things, but it was those guys.  They got the drop on me.  I had put my bow and arrows down to draw the water, and while I had a knife, they had guns.  They made me go with them.  Took me down to the basement and locked me up.  There were three other girls, and none of them were sure how long they’d been there.  There was a lantern on a hook and they kept it lit.  They would bring us a little bit of food and water, periodically, but not on any real schedule.  I think they did it to keep us confused.  Then one day, they took one of the girls out of the basement….”   
She paused.  Daryl and Aaron both noticed she was shaking.  Aaron gave her a bottle of water, telling her, “It’s ok.  You’re safe.”   
Angel took a deep breath and continued.  “I don’t know what happened to her, to any of them.  They would take a girl up, and the screaming would start.  She would be screaming, and crying and begging.  And they would be laughing and egging each other on.  I will never forget those screams as long as I live.  Those screams….it seemed like they would never end.”  Tears were spilling over now.  ‘ _ Damn it girl,’  _ she chastised herself, ‘ _ a soldier never cries!’    _ “They would eventually stop screaming and crying.  And that meant sooner or later, they would come down and get another one of us.  All I know,” she concluded, “is that once girls were brought up here, they never went back down.  We never saw them again.”  She found her backpack nearby and started to put the few clothing items in it, then went to the kitchen and started packing some canned food.  “You guys can stay here if you want.  I’m going back to my place.  Where I am, those things can’t get to me.  Again, you’re welcome to join me.”


	3. Chapter 3

Aaron and Daryl followed Angel through the woods.  “After we get settled, I can go check my snares.  I don’t know if I caught anything or if it would still be good, but it’s worth a shot.  We’ll need to get more water from the well, too….”   
Aaron told her, “We’ll be glad to help.  Your hospitality is overwhelming, considering what you’ve been through.”   
Angel turned and looked at both of them.  “I’ll be honest with you...the only reason I’m doing this is because you saved my ass back there, and it will be dark soon.  Besides, I figure if you wanted to do anything to me, you would have already tried.”   
“Wait a sec,” Daryl said. “How do we know ya ain’t just walking us into a trap?  Maybe ya got some group out there, waiting for us.  How do we know ya ain’t up to something?”   
Angel just shrugged.  “You don’t,” and continued walking.  He and Aaron exchanged a look and continued following her.   
It was almost sunset when they walked into a town similar to Alexandria.  Nice houses, most of them with doors wide open, and you could see the insides had been looted.  There were three home foundations one next to the other, the charred skeletal frames all that was left from a long ago fire.  As they walked through the backyard of a burned out house, she stopped under a tree and said, “Home sweet home.”   
Daryl and Aaron looked around.  Aaron spoke first.  “So you just sleep out in the open like this?”   
“No, of course not.”   
Then Daryl, “Then what?  Ya pick a house or something?”  He was irritated.   
Angel smiled.  “Nobody ever looks up anymore.”  She pointed up into the branches.   
Daryl and Aaron looked up.  If they hadn’t been looking for something they never would have seen it.  A tree house.  WAY up there.   
“I shimmied up this tree one day to hide from a herd.  That’s when I found it.  Must have been for some rich person’s kid.  It’s decent sized.  Chilly in the winter, but I make do.”   
All Daryl could think at the moment was that this girl was DAMN smart.  He spoke, “How do we get up there?  We gotta climb it?”   
“Nope, I’ll show you.”   
With that, Angel took a few steps backward, got a running start, and sort of ran up the trunk of the tree.  She grabbed some lower branches, pulled herself up a bit, then unwound a rope ladder that was invisible against the trunk and dropped it down.  “Hope you’re not afraid of heights!” she called cheerfully.     
She climbed up with the two of them behind her, opening a little trap door in the floor and climbing through.  Aaron and Daryl followed as she lit a small lantern, then pulled up the rope ladder behind them, closing the door.   
It was pretty decent sized, enough room for the three of them to move around a bit.  There was a folding chair and some milk crates.  Whoever had designed it had a wall of built in shelves, and there were a few cans of food and a couple bottles of water on them, a few books, and several metal coffee cans.  Daryl looked closer - they were full of rocks.  “Why ya got cans of rocks up here?”  Angel smiled at him, “It’s a distraction.  Come here.”   
They went over to one of the little cut out windows, and she propped open the little drop down shutter.  “See this?” she asked, pointing to a purple swath of material nailed to the edges.  “It’s one of those stretchy exercise  bands.  If some of those things see me come up here, it takes them forever to get bored and leave.  So I take a can full of rocks, put it in this band, and -”   
“It’s a like a big slingshot!”  Aaron finished.   
“Yep!  I shoot in into the woods, they hear it land somewhere else, and wander over there.  They’re too stupid to remember that I’m here and come back.  They go off chasing rocks.”  She smiled proudly.

Again, Daryl was struck with how smart she was.  Clever and resourceful.  No wonder she’d survived on her own for so long.     
There was a wee tiny fireplace off to the side probably never really meant for use, and that was where she cooked whatever meat she got, and made small fires to keep warm in the winter.  There was a stack of blankets neatly folded in the corner.  She grabbed a few empty water bottles off the shelf and said, “I’ll go check my snares and get some water.  Shouldn’t take me more than 30 minutes.”   
Daryl told her, “I’ll go with ya.”   
“You don’t have to.”   
“I ain’t lettin’ ya go alone.  Not after….today.”   
After some discussion, it was decided Daryl would go with Angel to check her snares and get water, and Aaron would stay behind and start a little fire in the fireplace.

 

They walked quietly through the woods for a bit before Angel spoke.  “There’s a little trap door up to the roof, too.”   
“I saw that.”   
“Pretty observant guy.”   
Daryl grunted in response.   
“I like to go up there at night sometimes, and just look at the stars.  Plus it’s a really good vantage point.  I can see in all the directions from there.”   
“Good spot to watch from?   
“Yep.”   
“I’ll go up there for watch tonight.”   
Angel told him, “We’re safe up there.  Really.  You don’t need to watch.”   
“I’d feel better if I did.”   
They came to her snares but they were a mess.  Walkers had gotten to the animals that had been caught.   
“Damn.  Sorry,” Angel said.  “It’s getting too dark to hunt, too.  No meat tonight.”   
After resetting the snares, they headed back the way they’d come.  Daryl asked her, “Ya hunt deer?”   
“Nah, too much.  It would go to waste.  I go after small stuff.  Rabbits, squirrel...got a possum once.  It was kinda salty.”   
Daryl chuckled, remembering the possum he’d killed as they entered Alexandria.     
On the way back, a lone walker appeared in front of them.  Before Daryl could even reach for his crossbow, Angel had pulled out her knife and thrown it.  Hit it square between the eyes, and hadn’t even stopped walking as she did it.  As she passed it, she yanked the knife out and kept going.  “Damn…” he muttered.   
They stopped at the house with the well in the back and filled up the water bottles and went back up to the treehouse.  Aaron had a fire going, and insisted they eat the food he and Daryl brought, rather than have her go through her small amount.  She looked at them askance at first, but when they didn’t hesitate to eat the heated food, she figured that it was indeed safe.

Daryl still insisted on doing a watch from the roof, and Aaron said he’d relieve him in a few hours.  Angel gave Aaron some blankets and they bedded down on opposite sides of the floor while Daryl went up on the roof.   
It was a nice night, and she’d been right, you could see everything from up there.  She needed to come back to Alexandria with them.  She was smart as a whip.   _ ‘And cute, too,’  _ he thought before he could stop himself.  He felt bad thinking it, but couldn’t stop himself.  He had offered her his vest to cover herself because it was the right thing to do.  It wasn’t much, but it was something.  But man...watching her little heart shaped ass wiggle back and forth as they went back to that cabin wasn’t easy.  He tried to look at something else, ANYTHING else.  And Aaron of course, was oblivious.   
He hoped she would agree to go.  They could use someone like her: smart and tough.  And even though she’d been on her own and safe for a long time, well, he didn’t even want to think what would have happened to her if they hadn’t ran into her.  They’d heard something in the brush and Daryl thought it might be a deer.   Those guys would have likely raped and killed her...and not necessarily in that order.  Daryl had never been a fan of the law, but he sometimes missed it when shit like that when down.  No woman should have to go through that.  Not ever.   
He and Merle had never really been law abiding citizens, especially not Merle, but that was the one thing they agreed on.  That you never forced yourself on a woman.  If she said no, she only needed to say it once.  Dixons may be trailer trash, but they weren’t rapists.  Daryl hadn’t been with a woman since long before the world went to crap.  He had been attracted to Beth…..look how that turned out.  He willed himself to not find this girl attractive.  Mind over matter.   
He heard Aaron climbing out onto the roof.  “Hey, seems pretty quiet.”   
Daryl shrugged.  “Yeah, pretty much.”   
“Why don’t you go down and get some sleep?  I’ll watch until sunup.  My guess is about 3 or 4 hours.”   
Daryl nodded.  As he was about to head down, Aaron said, “I hope she goes back with us.  We could use someone like her.”   
He decided to just go ahead and bed down on the blankets Aaron had used.  Angel gave a quiet little sigh in her sleep and he looked over at her.  The blankets were pushed down to her waist and she had one hand on her stomach and the other flung above her head.  Daryl watched her breasts rising and falling with each breath for a few minutes before getting disgusted with himself.   _ ‘Ain’t no better than them bastards if ya can’t even look at her without thinking shit like that,’ _ he chided himself, before turning his back to her and closing his eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

Angel started awake in the morning, as always.  Every night was a horror movie behind her eyes.  If she wasn’t reliving the shit she’d seen since the world went to Hell, she was reliving  watching people die when she was in the military.  There was no such thing as a “good night’s sleep” for her.  She rolled over and saw that Daryl guy laying in Aaron’s spot.  They must have switched in the night.  She watched him for a moment.  He looked so much younger when he slept, that chip on his shoulder was invisible.

The sun was coming up and the birds were starting to sing.  Angel changed into relatively clean underwear, then started to put on a clean pair of jeans.  Daryl opened his eyes just in time to see her shimmy that heart shaped ass into the skintight fabric.  He rolled over on his stomach to hide his erection, embarrassed.  Angel turned at the sound, “Good morning!”  Daryl looked at her.  “Ya ain’t got a shirt on.”   
“I’m getting to it.  Boy, you’re a grumpy bastard in the morning.”  She pulled her shirt on.   
“Think it’s safe to change ya clothes in front of 2 strange men?”   
Angel sat down on a milk crate as she put on her boots.  “Well, it’s safer than changing down on the ground.  Besides that, you’ve already seen me in my underwear.  Not to mention you are guests in MY house.  Grumpy McGrumperson.”   
Daryl scowled at her as Aaron came down from the roof, just as cheerful as she was.   _ ‘Damn morning people.’ _   
  


Aaron had brought some coffee, so Angel heated up some water.  “It’s been forever since I’ve had a good cup of coffee,” she told him.   
“Well,” Aaron admitted, “it’s actually pretty bad coffee.”  She took a sip when it was ready, wrinkled her nose, and told him, “At least you’re honest.  What the hell did you do to this stuff?”   
“Nothing, I swear!  It just….tastes like that,” he said, wrinkling his own nose at the taste.   
  
After breakfast, the men tried to convince her to go back to Alexandria.   
Aaron told her, “We have 18 foot high metal walls.  You’ll be safe.  And we have plenty of food and water too.  You won’t have to worry.”   
Angel replied, “But I  _ don’t  _ worry.  I’m confident in my abilities.  I haven’t gone hungry.  And I’m perfectly safe here, too.”   
“Didn’t look too safe when we found ya running around the woods in ya drawers,” Daryl commented.  Angel shot him a hateful look.   
“I appreciate your help.  I really do.  And now that I know there are still other people, I’ll be more careful.  I...I think maybe I should stay put.  I’m safe here….Besides, I haven’t been around people in so long, I wouldn’t even know how to act anymore...” she trailed off.   
Aaron tried another tactic. “Why don’t you come and see if you like it?  Just for a day or two.  If you don’t like it, you don’t have to stay.  We don’t keep anyone against their will.  Come with us.  Have a decent meal, sleep in a real bed, have a hot shower-”   
“HOT showers?  Like real hot water that I don’t have to heat?”

Daryl's mouth quirked up a bit.  She was a woman all right.  Of course, even he had to admit that the hot showers were pretty nice.   
“We’re on a solar grid,” Aaron explained.  “We have electricity, hot and cold running water, flushing toilets…..all those little luxuries from the old world.  We even have houses and apartments.  You could get set up in your own space and everything.”   
_ ‘Wow, hot showers.  And a REAL bed,’  _ she thought.  “And if I don’t like it, I can go?”   
Aaron smiled.  “Yes.  I would even escort you back here myself, if you wanted.  And we would give you some food and supplies as well.”   
  
Angel gave it some thought.  Maybe she should go.  If it sucked ass, she could come back to the treehouse.  It was true that she hadn’t been around people in what seemed like forever, but just a few weeks earlier she had cried for the first time in a long time, just out of loneliness.  She thought she might either go crazy or forget how to speak altogether.   
She looked up at the men packing their gear and said, “Ok.  I’ll go.”


	5. Chapter 5

Angel began packing her things.  Some clothes and food.  The book she was currently reading, a battered copy of  _ ‘Tom Sawyer’. _  Some bottles of water.  What looked like a night vision scope from a rifle.  Daryl asked her about it.  “Oh yeah,” she said.  “I found it on what was left of some guy in the forest a few months back.  There were no bullets, but I figured the scope would be useful, so I busted it off and kept it.”  Daryl noticed she left a can of food and a couple of water bottles behind.  _ ‘She’s afraid she’ll have to come back,’ _  he thought.     
They prepared to climb down, and Angel looked at the place that had been home for her.  The shelves, the folded blankets, the little fireplace.  She was scared.  Aaron put his hand on her shoulder and told her gently, “Remember, you don’t have to stay if you don’t want to.  Just give us a chance.”   
The guys went down ahead of her, and 10 feet from the bottom, she wrapped the rope ladder against the trunk so it was invisible again, then jumped down.  “Lead the way,” she said.

They stopped at the well to refill their water bottles and Angel asked them, “So how far is this place?”   
Aaron said, “It’s about a 2 hour walk to where our vehicles are, and a 4 hour drive after that.”   
“Drive?  No one said anything about getting in a car to me.”   
Aaron and Daryl looked at each other.  Even though she had just spent the night with them, she was still spooked.  “Well,” Aaron began, “I drive a car.  Daryl has a motorcycle.  If you’re more comfortable, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind-” He stopped when Daryl shot him a glare, then said, “Or maybe he would….”   
Daryl thought that no, he wouldn’t mind this cute girl pressed up against him, but how the hell would he concentrate on the road?  Angel turned to him, “Could I ride with you, please?  I still have this thing about getting into a stranger’s car, which I know is ridiculous.”  Daryl looked at her like she was not of this earth and muttered, “Whatever,” and started walking.   _ ‘Well he’s just going to be full of shits and giggles,’   _ she thought to herself.

About an hour into their walk, Daryl noticed Angel rotating her shoulder. “Something wrong?” he asked.   
“Nah.  Hurts from where I fell on it.  It’s just bruised.”   
“Ya sure ya didn’t sprain it?”   
“I’m positive.”   
“How can ya be sure?”   
“Because I’m a damn doctor, that’s how.”   
That statement brought both men to a dead stop, and they turned to look at her.  Pete had been killed by Rick only days ago.  Rosita was doing her best, but only had basic nurse training.   
Angel stood there and let them stare before finally saying, “You know, the last two guys who stared at me ended up dead.”   
Daryl spoke, “Are ya a real doctor?  Like a medical doctor?  Or one of them shrinks?”   
She smiled at that.  “I’m a real medical doctor.  I worked the emergency room at Atlanta General Hospital before….all this.  I did everything from stitching up a minor cut someone got while chopping veggies, to pulling three bullets out of a gang member, to delivering babies. Why?  You got a problem with a lady doctor?”   
Damn she had an attitude.   
Aaron smiled.  “No, not at all!  We had a doctor but he...died recently.  We could really use you in Alexandria in the medical clinic.”   
She just shrugged her shoulders.  “Yeah?  We’ll see.”

  
  


They came to a broken down old barn and Aaron opened the doors.  Inside was a car and a motorcycle, like he’d said.  Aaron got in the car, and Daryl got on the motorcycle and started it, then Angel climbed on behind him.   
_ ‘God dammit,’   _ Daryl thought as he started to get hard again.  At least she was behind him and couldn’t see it.  He was irritated at himself for getting turned on by this girl.  There were girls in Alexandria.  Why did this one have such an effect on him?  This was going to be a long ride.

 

About 2 hours in, they decided to stop and rest for a few minutes, and stretch their legs.  Angel started to wander over to the trees on the side of the road, and Daryl called out, “Where ya going?”   
“To pee, is that ok?”   
He rolled his eyes.  “Be sure to check for walkers.”   
“Duh.  I always look before I leak, thanks.” She went around the trees and before she disappeared behind them, she threw her knife, prompting Aaron to call out, “Is there a walker?”   
“Not anymore.”

Aaron turned to Daryl smiling and said, “She’s something else, isn’t she?”   
“Yeah, she’s a real piece of work.”   
“You don’t like her?”   
“Ain’t what I said.”   
Just then Angel came out from behind the trees buttoning up her pants.  “Everything ok?” Aaron asked.   
“Yeah, except for the pervert squirrel that was watching me pee.”   
Aaron really liked her spirit.  He couldn’t understand why Daryl didn’t.  Sure, she could be abrasive, but so could he.  She was tough, smart, and resourceful like Daryl.  That’s when it hit him.   _ ‘She’s almost a female version of him!  And I bet he doesn’t realize it.  Oh they will probably NEVER get along.’ _ _   
_ __   
On they rode.  Angel was actually enjoying the ride.  On the back of Daryl’s bike tooling down the highway...she could almost forget what had happened.  It was almost normal.  Then Daryl would pat her hands where they were wrapped around his middle to get her attention to point out a walker in the road they would have to swerve around.  She wondered if the world would ever be the same again.  Then again, she had adapted well.  Would she be able to function if it went back to normal?  They were living in a world populated with dead people that were up, walking, and NOT friendly, and an entire public that by now had PTSD.  The pharmaceutical companies would have a field day.

 

Finally, they pulled up to the gates and got off the motorcycle.  Angel immediately noticed Sasha playing sniper in the tower.  Aaron saw her looking up and said, “It’s ok.  Sasha is on watch.  She isn’t going to shoot you.”   
“Does she know that?”   
The gates opened, and a young man let them enter.  “This is Spencer, he’s Deanna’s son,” Aaron told Angel.  She looked at Spencer, and he was blatantly giving her the once over, looking appreciatively at her breasts and tight jeans.  Daryl was about to say something, but there was no need.  Angel said to Spencer in a suggestive voice, “You know what I did to the last guy who looked at me like that?”   
“What?” he smiled.   
“Shot him in the kneecaps and left him for those things to eat,” she replied sweetly.  “Put your eyes back in your head, son.  I’d break you in five minutes.”   
  
Daryl chuckled as Spencer lost his smirk and busied himself closing the gates.  He sure did like her style.

  
Deanna approached and introduced herself, asking, “I assume you’ve met Spencer.”   
“Yeah, he’s your son?  He’s kind of a dick,” Angel said unapologetically.   
Deanna was a bit taken back by that, but recovered.  “Yes, well, why don’t you turn in your weapons and we can go on with the interview.”   
“Excuse me?  Do what?”   
“Everyone turns in their weapons when they come here.  It’s our policy.”   
“You can have my weapons when you pry them out of my cold, dead hands, lady.  I don’t give two shits for your ‘policy’.”   
Aaron stepped in and tried to help.  “Angel, everybody turns them in.  It’s a safety measure.  They won’t let you in unless you turn them in.”   
She walked back to the gate and told Spencer, “Open it, I’m outta here.”  Spencer looked at Deanna and she nodded.  He began to open the gate, and then Aaron blurted out, “She’s a doctor.”  That sentence was a show stopper all right.  Spencer stopped opening the gate and looked at Deanna, who seemed to be considering the options.   
She turned to Angel and said, “I’ll make you a deal.  For the duration of the interview, I’ll hold your gun, but you’ll hold the bullets.  Your bow, arrows, and knife, you can keep.” Spencer spoke up, “Mom, you can’t-” Deanna silenced him by holding up her hand.   
Angel mulled it over.  It wasn’t ideal, but it was obvious they were being as flexible as possible to accommodate her.     
“Okay, deal.  Let’s get this crap over with,” Angel said, removing the bullets from her gun and handing it over.


	6. Chapter 6

Deanna led Angel to her house to conduct the interview.  She didn’t like being separated from the two men, she still trusted them...more or less.  She kept looking back over her shoulder at them: Aaron smiling encouragingly, and Daryl scowling, of course.  That seemed to be the only expression he had.   
She brought Angel into the living room of her house, where she conducted the interviews.  “Why don’t you have a seat?” Deanna told her, motioning to the wing chair.   
Angel looked at it…..it was right in front of a window.  No way.  “Is it ok for me to move this?”   
“Of course.  Whatever makes you comfortable.”   
_ ‘Being out of this Pottery Barn catalog of a house would be comfortable,’   _ she thought.  Looking around, she finally slid the chair to a corner of the room.  She could see the door and she was away from the windows.  That was better.  Sitting down she saw the camera and asked, “What’s that for?”   
Deanna told her, “We record all of our interviews.  I believe in total transparency here.”   
“Whatever, lady.”

 

“Well then...what’s your name?”   
“Angel.”   
“Do you have a last name?”   
“Does it matter anymore?”   
Deanna raised her eyebrows at her, and Angel said, “My name is Angela Beecher.  Nobody has ever called me Angela, just Angel.  Happy?”   
“Aaron said you’re a doctor.  Could you tell me about that?”   
Angel heaved a sigh.  “After school I enlisted in the army.  That was back in 1992, when Desert Storm started.  I was trained and went to Saudi Arabia as a field medic.  After that, I used my G.I. bill to go to college, worked my way through medical school with any job I could get and on about one hour of sleep every night.  Graduated near the top of my class did a residency in Louisiana, just in time to help after Hurricane Katrina.  After that, came back home to Atlanta, got a job at Atlanta General.  If I knew this was gonna happen I never would have paid off my damn student loans.”   
Just as she finished, Angel heard a flurry of footsteps running on the porch.  She jumped up and immediately pulled her knife.  Deanna calmly walked to the door, opened it and yelled, “Off the porch kids!  You know the rules!”  A chorus of children's voices called out, “Sorry.”  Deanna turned back to see Angel putting her knife in it’s sheath.   
“Are you alright Angel?  Sorry about that, the kids...well, they’re kids.”   
“I can’t believe there are kids here.  I can’t believe there are kids at all.”   
“Shall we continue?”   
“Yeah, I’m good.”   
“So Desert Storm and Katrina?”   
“Yeah.  My mom used to tell me that if it weren’t for bad luck I’d have no luck at all.  That if it was raining soup, I’d be outside with a fork.”   
“So that puts your age at about 41?”   
“Yeah I guess so.  I don’t have a calendar.”   
“You look very good for your age.”   
Angel shrugged.  People always said that.  She shifted uncomfortably.   
Deanna asked her, “How did you survive out there?  Were you with a group?”   
Angel gave her a dirty look.  “I’m not some stupid helpless female, okay?  I hunted, I fished, I scavenged.  And I learned early on to avoid people.  With those dead things, you know where you stand.  They wanna eat you, end of story.  With people, it’s not that simple.  And it seemed like mostly the worst of the worst survived.”   
“I’m sorry,” Deanna apologized.  “Most people who come here show up with a group or were part of a group at some time.”   
“Well, I’m not most people.  I’m me.”  Angel felt bad for snapping at her, but geez.  She didn’t like getting the third degree.  Suddenly she remembered something Aaron had told said.  “What happened to the other doctor?  Aaron said he died.  How’d he die?”   
Deanna looked down.  It had barely been a week since Pete had killed Reg, and not even two since she’d lost Aiden as well.  The tears came before she could stop them.   
Angel noticed.  She wasn’t sure why this lady was crying, but something was upsetting her.  “Oh hey, I’m really sorry.  I didn’t know that was a sore spot.”  She picked up a box of tissues near her chair and gave them to Deanna.

“It’s quite alright.  Oh, thank you dear,” she said, taking the tissues and drying her eyes.  “Pete was our doctor.  A good one too.  A surgeon.  Unfortunately, he had a temper….one he took out on his wife and children.”  Angel bristled at that.  She saw more than her fair share of kids with broken arms and bruised up backs who “fell down the basement stairs”.  She never realized so many houses in Atlanta had “basements”.  Remembering how things had changed after her dad died….there had to be a special circle in Hell for those people.   
Deanna continued.  “It got bad, and our constable, Rick, tried to talk to him about it, and they came to blows.  We had to have a community meeting about it.  Pete rushed at Reg, that was my husband, with a machete.  Pete killed Reg, then Rick killed Pete.”   
“Well, it sounds like Pete was a porch dick.”

That phrase made Deanna laugh.  “What on earth is a ‘porch dick’?”   
“Meh, it’s just another word for an asshole.”

Deanna liked this girl.  A bit rough around the edges, but spirited.  She had the feeling that her hard life hadn’t started with the army and Desert Storm, either.   _ ‘But,’  _ she reminded herself,  _ ‘it’s not about who she WAS, but who she IS.’ _ __   
“Let me ask you,” Deanna began, “if you stay, would you be willing to be own town doctor?  Everyone has to work here, everyone has a job.  I will give you a couple of days to get your bearings, but that is the job I’d like you to take.  What do you think?  Give it a couple of days, get some rest, and see how you feel?”   
Angel thought about it.  She did miss being a doctor, it was something she was good at.  With the walls and people on guard, she might actually be able to sleep for once.   
“Okay,” Angel told her.  “I’ll give it a couple of days then decide if this is for me.”


	7. Chapter 7

Since Angel wasn’t sure about staying, Deanna decided to have her stay in Carol’s place.  Carol had extra room, and she thought being with another relatively new person would be good for her.  

 

Carol was very welcoming, but Angel of course, was still nervous.  She took her upstairs to a bedroom that no one was using, and Deanna went to find Jessie so Angel could get some new, clean clothes.  She showed her where the bathroom was, and smiled at Angel’s excitement over having hot running water.  Carol told her, “When we first got here, we all stayed together in the house next door.  I went in to all of the bathrooms and flushed the toilets, just to watch them flush.”

“Yeah, this is all new to me again too.”   
“How long have you been out there all alone?”   
“Since the beginning.”   
“All by yourself?” Carol exclaimed.  In the beginning, she fled the city as well, but she had Ed and Sophia, and probably would have been dead a dozen times over in the first few weeks if not for the group.   
Angel looked at her.  “Yeah, I was alone.  It sucked sometimes.  But now, this place...all these people….”   
Carol put a hand on her arm.  “It’s ok.  It’s a lot to deal with at first, I know.  We’ve not been here very long either.  But the people here all seem like good people.”   
Angel gave her a small smile.  Carol gave her some bath towels and left.

 

Angel turned on the water and stood under it...it was practically orgasmic.  Hot running water!  And soap!  And shampoo!  It was practically paradise.  It took forever to get her hair cleaned.  Nearly a quarter of a bottle of shampoo and just as much conditioner, and so much soap before the water ran clear.  She was used to heating pots of water to bathe in an old washtub in the winter, and bathing in the creek in the summer, but she felt like there was always still a layer of dirt and walker guts on her.   
Her mind wandered to the last few days.  That Aaron guy, while cute and definitely brave (hell he stepped between her and a loaded gun), well…..he seemed to be batting for his own team.  Angel had always been good at figuring that out, it was practically an art.  One of her coworkers at the hospital said she had “great gaydar”.  Her heart clenched when she thought back to the hospital.  She always got along with her coworkers, and now they were likely all dead.  She shook her head.   
Then there was that Daryl guy.  Now he was interesting, to say the least.  Gruff, not very talkative.  Seemed to be a pretty good shot with his crossbow, but she’d bet she could give him a run for his money.  Little rough around the edges.  Didn’t seem to be gay, but he didn’t seem to take much of a look when she was stuck in her underwear.  Angel knew that it hadn’t been the best of circumstances, but most guys would at least peek.  Instead, he gave her his vest to cover up in.  It really was a nice vest.  When she had put it on, it smelled so manly.  Leather, sweat, the woods….and Daryl was pretty easy on the eyes….and those arms of his, god damn…   
Angel realized she was starting to enjoy the water running down her body a little too much.   _ “Dammit, you stupid girl!’  _  she chastised herself.   _ ‘You don’t even know if anyone here is really trustworthy, least of all, him!’    _

 

Daryl walked in the house to see if Carol needed anything for dinner.  Probably not, but he would check anyway.  He heard the shower running upstairs.  Assuming it was Carol, he sat on the steps outside the bathroom door so her could catch her on her way out.

 

Angel finished toweling dry her hair and used her fingers to comb out the tangles.  She’d have to ask that Carol lady about a hairbrush.  She wrapped the almost too small towel around herself and walked out the bathroom door.

  
And there was Daryl.  It was like that moment in the woods all over again.  Both surprised to see the other, and neither sure of what to say.  Angel spoke first.  “Uhhhh…..hi?”   
Daryl stood up.  When did towels get so damn small.  “I thought you were Carol.”   
“No.  Sorry.  Just me.”   
He looked away.  He had to.  She was cute before, even covered in dirt, but now….she was kinda hot.  When did her hair get wavy like that?  Was it like that the other day?  Suddenly he could smell the soap and shampoo wafting out of the bathroom in the steam.  Vanilla.  And some kind of sweet flower.  Good lord.  He needed to get out of there.   
Angel noticed his face getting red.  “Daryl, are you ok?”  Half naked or no, she was a doctor, so if he wasn’t feeling well, she needed to take care of him.  She took a step toward him, and he took a step back. “M’fine.  Sorry.  Just wanted to check in with Carol.  Didn’t mean to startle ya.”   
She gave him a smile.  “You didn’t.  Sure you’re ok?” But he was already down the steps and out the door, like she was repulsive to him.  Shrugging her shoulders, Angel went into her room, and started to go through the clothes Carol had left on her bed in a laundry basket.


	8. Chapter 8

 

All Angel could think was that Daryl hated her for some reason.  Had she committed some faux pas of the apocalypse?  She found some jeans and a black tank top that fit, got dressed and headed downstairs.  Carol was in the kitchen.  “Oh, Daryl was looking for you,” Angel told her. “Yeah? I saw him run out of the house pretty quick.  Guess it wasn’t important.  Are you hungry?  Dinner won’t be for a few more hours, and I was going to fix myself something.”   
“Oh,” Angel shifted uncomfortably.  She was pretty hungry, but she didn’t want this woman to think she expected anything.  “Um….I mean….you don’t have to…..I mean…” Ugh, she was getting all tongue tied.Carol smiled at her and put her hand over Angel’s.   
“Hey, it’s ok.  I don’t expect anything from you.  I would offer to anyone who was here.”  As if on cue, some young boy came in saying, “Hey Carol.”   
Angel jumped out of her seat and took a few steps back.  Carol really felt for her.  The poor thing was so skittish.  “It’s ok, Angel.  This is Carl.  His father is Rick, he is one of our town policemen.  He’s been with us since the beginning.”   
Carl had stopped in his tracks when he saw how scared she was.   _ ‘Wow, she’s really scared,’   _ he thought.   _ ‘She must have been alone.’   _

Angel was so embarrassed.  Was she going to jump every time somebody approached her?  A fine doctor she’d be.  She had talked gang members in emergency rooms into lowering their guns, but she was afraid of a teenage boy?

She ran her hands through her damp hair.  “I’m really really sorry,” she said quietly.     
Carol guided her back to the stool she had been sitting on at the kitchen island.  “It’s ok.  You just need to get used to people again.”   
Angel looked at Carl, and gave a small smile.  “I’m Angel.”   
He gave her a big smile.  “I’m Carl.”   
  
They had a nice lunch together.  Angel had to admit it was nice having enough to eat.  Her eyes had almost popped out of her head when Carol opened the refrigerator and Angel saw it was full of food.  Carol told her she was welcome to anything in there anytime she wanted, that she didn’t have to ask.  Maggie dropped by to meet “the new doctor”.   
“I know you just got here,” Maggie began, “and you’re not sure if you want to stay, but maybe you could take a look at Tara?”   
“Who is she?  What happened?”   
Maggie told her about Tara’s head injury from run.  “She wakes up here and there, but we’re all worried about her.  Rosita has been taking care of her at the clinic as best she can, but she’s not a doctor.  Could you please just check her out, even if you decide to leave?”  A doctor at heart, all Angel said was, “Where’s this clinic?  Can you take me to her now?”

 Maggie walked Angel the short distance to the clinic and introduced her to Rosita before going back to Deanna’s.  Rosita reiterated what was going on with Tara, and told Angel, “I only have nurse training.”  Angel looked at her.  “‘Only’?  It seems like you’ve done a pretty damn good job.  She’s still ok.  I don’t believe in that ‘only a nurse’ crap.  Nurses are way more important than people think.”  Rosita felt a swell of pride at that.  “So,” Angel continued, motioning to a snoring Eugene in the chair next to Tara’s bed, “is that the boyfriend?”  
“That’s... Eugene.”  
“So...NOT the boyfriend?”  
“Um, no.”  
“Why not?  He seems concerned.”  
“Yeah, but she’s gay.”  
“Oh.  Yeah, I guess that would kind of put a damper on things.”  
When Angel said that, Rosita started giggling….and she couldn’t stop.  Angel just looked at her blankly for a moment, then a smile started tugging up her lips, and she started giggling too.  For a good solid five minutes, the two women giggled, and boy did it feel good.  
The door opened, and a cop walked in.  “What’s so funny?”  
“Oh you had to be here!”  She wiped her eyes and caught her breath.  Angel had stopped giggling and taken a step back when he walked in, both Rosita and he had noticed.  Rosita took a step toward Angel saying, “Angel, this is our town cop, Rick Grimes.” Rick held out his hand.  “Nice to meet you Angel.”  She stepped toward him and shook his hand.  “Hi.  I think I met your son at lunch.  Carl, right?”  
Rick smiled, “Yep, Carl’s my son.  And if it was lunch time and you were at Carol’s, that was DEFINITELY him.”  
Angel smiled back.  “He’s a growing boy.  Hell, looks to be a few inches taller than me.  Not hard really, I’m only 5 foot 3...”  
She looked up at Rick.  He was definitely a sexy guy.  But he was no Daryl.   _‘Oh for fuck’s sake!’_ she mentally scolded herself.   _‘This is not “The Dating Game”!  Stop checking guys out!’_ Angel stood there awkwardly with the two of them looking at her while she looked at the floor.  Finally Rick spoke.  “Well, I’d better get back to patrolling.  I just wanted to meet the new girl,” and with that he was gone.  
  
Rosita and Angel gave Tara a quick exam.  She got a flashlight to look in her eyes, and checked her ears.  Rosita had made up a medical chart for Tara, so Angel told her, “Put a note in there that when she is actually up, we need to check her hearing.  I can see some damage to her ear drums.  It doesn’t look permanent, it may heal, but that explosion definitely hit her hard.”  
“Is she deaf?” This came from Eugene, who that hadn’t noticed had woken up.  Angel turned to him and told him, “No.  Depending on how long she goes in and out of consciousness like she has, it may be healed completely by the time she’s well.  Or, you may have to yell at her for a few days.”  
“Are you a doctor, ma’am?”  
“Yes I am.”  
“Good.  Thank you for looking at her.  I’m rather fond of her.”  
Angel was trying not to laugh at his monotone, emotionless way of talking.  “I’m sure she’ll be happy to know you kept watch over her.”  
“I doubt that.  She’s gay.”  
“That doesn’t mean she can’t appreciate a friend that was worried about her.”

 She spent most of the afternoon in the clinic with Rosita.  Learning who some of the people were and taking inventory of medical supplies.  Sasha came in as the sun was setting to watch over Tara during the night.  “Sasha?” Angel asked.  “Weren’t you the sniper in the tower when I pulled in today?”  
“Yeah.”“Well thanks for not shooting me.”    
Sasha chuckled.

 Rosita walked back to Carol’s with her.  When Angel walked into the house, she exclaimed, “Oh my god, it smells so good!”  Carol turned from the oven with a smile.  “Well, I hope it tastes as good as it smells!  I hope you like lasagna?”  
“I will eat anything that smells that good, but yes, I love Italian.”  
  
Daryl was walking around outside the gates, doing a perimeter check.  Anything he could think of to get that girl out of his mind.  When did bath towels get so damn small?  I mean he could almost see everything.   _‘Wonder what she looked like under that towel...all wet and squeaky clean...’_ he thought before catching himself.  What the hell was he thinking?  Angel was  a doctor, which meant she was really smart.  Doctors got paid a lot too.  She’d probably lived in houses just like they were living in now.  Probably dated doctors that were just as rich.  No wonder she had such an attitude.  Having to slum in the woods was probably beneath her station in life.  
Daryl thought back to Merle.  Merle would have been all over her.  Petite sexy thing like that, plus tough as she had to be….Merle might have been happy with his girls from the bars, but if she’d come around slumming like some of the rich ladies did...yep, ol’ Merle would have turned on the charm, put her through the wringer, and never given it a second thought.  Sometimes Daryl wished he could be more like his brother.  At least Merle got laid regularly before the end of the world.  It wasn’t like Daryl did hookups too, but it was hard for him to chat up women.  They may like the strong, silent type, but not if they were too silent to say hello.  Damn it all to Hell, why couldn’t he get this girl out of his head?   _‘Maybe because in the last 24 hours, you’ve seen her in her underwear and wrapped in a towel, dumbass,’_ he scolded himself.   _‘That would make anybody think about her.’_  He continued his patrol, still trying to ignore away the semi-erection he got from running into her.   _‘She just had to smell so damn good..dammit!’_ He really, really needed to stop thinking about her before he went back for dinner.  She was going to be under the same roof as him, at least temporarily.

 Everyone in Rick’s group came over to Carol’s for dinner.   They lined up in the kitchen with plates, and filed through into the living room.  Carl lined up behind Angel, with Judith in his arms.  “Angel?  This is my baby sister, Judith.”  Angel was floored.  This was a tiny baby he was holding.  And she looked to be in very good health.  You could tell she loved her brother, she was babbling at him and chewing on a toy, paying no attention to Angel.  Seeing this happy baby put a smile on her face.  Just then there was a loud bang, and Angel jumped in front of Carl and Judith, knife drawn.  Everybody looked to her, and then Rosita, who had dropped a pot lid.  Rosita looked up, “My fault.  Sorry guys.”

Angel turned red and put her knife away.  At least her bow was up in her room, hidden between the mattresses on her bed.  She would have been really embarrassed to pull that out.  Rick was in line behind Carl and Judith.  Angel turned to him, and said, “I’m really sorry.”  Rick cocked his head at her.  “Why?  You just jumped in front of my kids to protect them, and you don’t even know them.  That’s nothing to apologize for.”   
  
Once everyone was seated, the questions to Angel started.   
Where are you from?

Atlanta.   
How long were you out there?

Since the beginning.   
Were you by yourself?   
Yes.   
Were you scared?   
All the time.   
Finally, a big guy with red hair spoke up.  “For god’s sake people, let the poor girl eat.  She hasn’t decided if she’s gonna stay, and we can’t afford to scare a doctor away.”   
Rosita added, “Abraham’s right.  Let’s give her a little space instead of the third degree.”

The rest of the dinner was more relaxed.  They told her about the town and how Aaron and his boyfriend Eric had found them.   _ ‘I was right about his orientation,’   _ she thought to herself.  She noticed Daryl wasn’t there.  She was wondering where he was, when he suddenly walked in.   _ ‘Speak of the devil and he appears,’   _ she thought.  A few people said hello to him, and his eyes scanned the table, stopping on Angel.  He went into the kitchen, fixed a plate, then went on the back porch to eat.  He knew he couldn’t eat looking at her.  Just that glance was bad enough.

 After dinner, Angel insisted on helping with the dishes.  She went out to see if Daryl was done with his plate.  He was sitting looking up at the stars, and didn’t even notice her at first.  Until she spoke.  “Hi Daryl.”  
“Hey.”  
“Don’t see stars like that in the cities.  Well, maybe you can now, but not when I was growing up.”  
He just looked at her, so she continued, “When I was little my dad, my real dad, used to drive me out to the country so I could see the stars.  He taught me all about them.  He wanted me to work for NASA when I grew up, “ she chuckled.  She looked down at Daryl, and he didn’t say anything.  Angel suddenly felt stupid.  Why the hell would Daryl care about her and her dad looking at the stars when she was 8?  She cleared her throat and asked, “Are you done with your plate?”  
“I got it,” he said, getting up and pushing past her to go in the house.

Living with him was going to be as much fun as a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.


	9. Chapter 9

After the dishes were done, Angel went up to her room.  She started folding and putting away the clothes they had given her.   She still wasn’t convinced she was staying, but she didn’t have to be a slob in the meantime.  She found a little pajama set, a tank top with spaghetti straps and sleep shorts, and changed into them for the evening.   
She emptied her backpack on the bed to go through her personal items.  Her toothbrush was already in the bathroom….even in the apocalypse she was anal retentive about her teeth.  There were no dentists, she only ever skipped a day when she was on the run.  Almost every house she went to had toothbrushes left behind.  Yeah they were used, but beggars can’t be choosers.  She would soak them in alcohol when she had some.  The red one she had in the bathroom now had been a treat.  Found it in a convenience store still in the package, brand new.  She guessed looters didn’t think about brushing their teeth.

There was a soft knock on her door.  “Come in,” Angel said.  It was that nice lady who lived here, Carol.  She came in carrying some blankets and saw Angel’s things spread out on the bed.  “I’m sorry, I hope I didn’t interrupt,” Carol told her.

“Nah, just taking inventory.”   
“I just wanted to bring you some extra blankets. It shouldn’t be too cold, but you’re such a tiny little thing, I didn’t want you to have to freeze.”   
Angel smiled.  “Thanks so much.”   
Carol looked at Angel’s things spread out.  “A sewing kit?  For patching up your clothes, I guess.”   
“Nope, for patching up me a couple of times.”   
“Really?  Ouch!”   
“Yeah, not fun at all.”   
“A bottle of vodka?”   
Angel laughed at that.  “Yep.  Found it a few months ago in a house I checked out.  The place had a wet bar.  It had been looted, but I guess they missed this.  It was way in the back.  There was a jar of olives, too.  Let me tell you, those were the best olives I’ve ever had.  I don’t hardly drink, but I figured the booze would be good if I ran out of regular rubbing alcohol”

_ ‘This girl is damn smart,’   _ Carol thought.  “What’s that?”  she asked Angel, pointing to a metallic Y shaped thing with a rubber strap on it.   
“It’s a slingshot.”   
“You’re kidding!  Boys used to make those out of twigs when I was growing up.  Never saw one like this.”

“I’ve had it for years.  Pretty good weapon to have and learn to use.  You don’t really need ammo, just stick a rock in there, and WHAM!”

“You could really hurt someone with that?”   
“With the right size rock, you can kill someone, believe it or not.”   
“Wow.”   
  
Carol left after that, going off to bed herself.  Angel hoped she hadn’t scared her.  She liked Carol.  She also didn’t believe she was a small and meek as she made herself out to be.  She gathered all of what was left of her worldly possessions and put them back into her backpack which she put next to her bed.  She pulled her bow and bolts out and put them next to the bed as well.  Just in case.  Angel tossed her copy of Tom Sawyer on the bed.  It bounced off, hit the bedside table, and ricocheted under the bed.  “Dammit,” she said, getting down on her knees to retrieve it.  There was another knock at her door.  Thinking it was Carol again, she said, “Come in,” without a second thought.

 

Daryl passed Carol in the hall.  “Where are you off to, Pookie?”  Daryl looked at the ground.   
“Just thought I’d maybe take a shower.”   
“It’s about time.”   
“You told me I should.”   
“Are you doing it because I told you to, or because of a rather attractive houseguest?”   
Daryl knew he was blushing, and hoped Carol couldn’t tell in the dim hall light.  “Naw.  Got tired of smelling how bad I smelled is all.”   
“Mhm.”   
Daryl went past her and put his clean clothes in the bathroom, then hesitated.  Didn’t women do some kind of stuff in the bathroom before bed?  Putting on face cream or something?  Well if he had to share the bathroom with Angel, he should be polite and see if she was done for the evening.  He was so filthy, it would take a while to get all the dirt off of him.  He left the bathroom, holding his clothes, walked to her door, and knocked.  He heard her say, “Come in,” but wasn’t prepared for the sight that greeted him.   
Her heart shaped ass high in the air, shoulders on the ground, making tiny little grunting noises.   
“What the hell?”   
She looked up over her shoulder, oblivious to her position.  “Oh hi!  Gimme just a sec.”   
A little more wiggling and grunting, then she stood up triumphant, holding her book.  “It fell under the bed,” she said, putting it on the nightstand.  He looked at her without saying a word.  Her nipples were hard beneath that skimpy top she wore, and her legs were gorgeous.   
“Daryl?  Earth to Daryl?”   
“What?” he snapped at her.   
“Hey, don’t bite my head off.  You knocked on my door.  Did you want something?”   
Hell yes he wanted something.  He wanted her naked back down in that position on the floor so he could fuck her into next week.  Instead, he was just very glad that he was holding his clothes down in front of his crotch.  He didn’t know when he’d been so damn hard.   
“I was about to take a shower.  Just wanted to make sure you didn’t need anything in there.”   
Angel looked at him.  He wouldn’t make eye contact, instead looking anywhere else.  She gave him a small smile, “Nope, I’m good.  Just gonna tuck in for the night.”   
“Okay,” he turned to go.   
“Daryl wait, “she said, and he turned around.  She closed the space between him and hugged him around the waist. “Thank you.”   
He couldn’t remember the last time someone had hugged him.  Wait, yes he could.  Beth.  “Thanks for what?”   
“Saving my life the other day.  You and Aaron.  And bringing me here.  Can’t remember the last time I slept in a real bed,” she said, letting him go.   _ ‘Even all sweaty and dirty, he smells kinda good,’   _ she thought.     
He turned away from her and headed down the hallway, just saying, “It’s nothin’,” over his shoulder.   
Man, he really seemed to hate her.  


	10. Chapter 10

Daryl stripped down and got under the spray of hot water in the shower.  He wondered if he should switch to a cold one with the hard on he was sporting.  It was that damn woman.  Why her?  Why now?  There were plenty of pretty ladies here in Alexandria...why weren’t any of them  getting under his skin like her?   _ ‘Because you know that they ain’t nothin’ like her,’   _ he answered himself.   _ ‘Ain’t nobody like that girl...’ _

And when she hugged him...good lord.  Good thing he was turned to the side.  And she smelled so good.  Bad enough that he walked in and saw her all bent over like she was.  Those tiny little shorts she was wearing didn’t leave much to the imagination.  He’d already seen her in her underwear, yeah, but he’d been a gentleman and at least tried not to look.  Even given her his vest to wear, but it didn’t cover that ass of hers.  He’d never noticed girls asses before, he was a boob guy, but her ass was so damn PERFECT.  And he’d be lying if he said he hadn’t looked at her chest, he had.  Sneaked a peek while she was sleeping at the tree house, and felt like a dirty bastard for it.  Tonight, though, with those hard nipples just begging to be touched...

Daryl did the only thing he could.  He knew he wouldn’t be able to get her out of his head.  He reached down and wrapped his hand around his cock.  Damn, she made him so hard.  He hadn’t even masturbated since the showers in the prison, and that was only because he’d found a girlie magazine stuffed under a mattress in a cell. He thought of her bent over on the bed in her room, ass up in the air, and imagined sinking into her, all tight and wet.  He pictured her looking back at him over her shoulder, just like she had, and asking for more.   
He slowed himself down, he didn’t want to come too quick.  No, if he had this girl, even though it was only in his mind, he was gonna savor it.  He looked down and found the vanilla smelling body wash she had used and squirted a little into his palm and rubbed his hard cock.  The smell floated up in the shower, yep, that was her all right.  That sweet, sweet smell.  He leaned back against the tiles, pumping into his fist.  He imagined flipping her over on her back, sliding down her body and tasting her.  He knew she would smell like vanilla and probably taste like it too.  It had been so long since he’d tasted a woman….he didn’t like to go down on the bar whores he and Merle sometimes picked up.  He always wore condoms, god only knew where they’d been.  He sure wasn’t gonna go down on one.  But Angel...Angel….sweet little Angel, with her sweet little smile, and her hot little body, wrapped around his cock, her body covered in sweat and her back arching…

That sent him over the edge.  He shot his cum onto the walls and floor of the shower, stifling a groan, then pressed his head against the cool tiles.  “Dammit girl, what’cha doin’ to me?” he asked under his breath.

 

Angel closed the bedroom door behind Daryl.  She checked that it had a working lock and locked it tight, then shoved a chair under the door knob for good measure.  She was still afraid.  These big rich people houses still creeped her out.

Working at Atlanta General meant you didn’t make much.  A government funded hospital, one that served the uninsured and underinsured, it barely made ends meet, and so did she.  But she loved it there.  These were people who desperately needed medical care.  Angel had felt healthcare to be a right, not a privilege, and that’s what drew her there.  That hospital and it’s people had been good to her when she needed them, she would do the same for others.  

Angel had lived very modestly.  She had a small apartment not too far from the hospital.  She lived in the poorer part of town, but it was still decent.  Lots of working families, some that didn’t speak English.  But they watched out for each other.  It wasn’t uncommon for a neighbor to come to her with an injury or a sick child, needing care.  She helped them all, and refused payment.   For Angel, it was just the right thing to do.  She had cared about the people.

Could she care about people again, after the horrors she had seen?  Could she trust these people?  Could she really be safe and make a life here?

She climbed under the covers and turned off the bedside lamp.  She took stock in her mind: this place had walls, but the braces were outside...what idiot decided that?  Angel was going to have to talk to Deanna about that.  The people seemed nice and friendly….but most of them seemed weak.  Some had been there since the beginning, they had no idea what it was really like out there.  It would make sense to at least make sure the people who were young and strong enough could defend themselves.   What about a distant meeting place in case they were overrun and had to leave?  She bet they didn’t have one.  She should talk to Daryl.

_ ‘Daryl?’   _ Angel thought.   _ ‘Why him?  He’s not in charge...’   _

She knew why.  He was hot.  It almost made her angry to be attracted to him.  She was worried she would do something stupid, and endanger herself.  Besides, she didn’t know if he was even single.  He might be with the lady whose house she was in, Carol.  Or he might have another girlfriend in town, there were plenty of pretty ladies around.  Angel rolled over.  She would have to wait and see what tomorrow would bring.   
  
Angel awoke with the sun, as always.  She woke with a start, again, as always.  But she noted that this was the second night in a row that she slept all night.  That was nice, getting a full night's sleep.  And having a real bed, and a nice one at that, was divine.   
Heading quietly downstairs, so as to not wake anyone, she padded down to the kitchen still in her pajamas.  She spied a coffee maker on the counter and set out on a search for coffee.  The coffee Aaron had given her was pretty bad, but it was still coffee.  It was chilly in the kitchen, if she could just find the coffee and get a pot going, then she could run upstairs and put on some clothes.  She opened a cabinet and saw a mason jar with coffee on a shelf.  She reached for it, but was too short.   
“Need some help?”   
Angel spun around in the direction of the voice, and there Daryl stood, dressed for the day, with his crossbow over his shoulder.  She saw his eyes flick down to her chest, then quickly back up to her face.  It was cold in there, so she knew her nipples were hard.  How embarrassing.   
“Um, yeah,” she told him.  “I was gonna make coffee, but I can’t quite reach it.”   
Daryl walked over setting his crossbow on the kitchen island, reached up and handed it to her, then sat down, fiddling with his crossbow, and avoiding looking at her.   
She started the coffee, then ran upstairs to put some real clothes on.  When she came back, Daryl was drinking some, and she noticed he had poured her a cup as well.  “Hey, thanks,” she said, and he just shrugged.   
She took a sip and noticed that this coffee was actually pretty good.  “How come this tastes better than what Aaron made?”   
“Because he can’t make coffee for shit.”   
They sat silently for a few moments.  Angel pushed her hair out of her face.  She was going to have to find some ponytail holders.   
“It’s curly.”   
“Hmm?”   
“Your hair.  It’s curly.  Weren’t curly when we met you.”   
Angel smiled, “Yeah, it’s kinda wavy.  It was also full of crap when you met me.  This is the first time it’s felt really clean.”  She was surprised he remembered something as trivial as her hair.  He looked up at her briefly and met her eyes.  She smiled at him and he scowled.  Angel sighed as she put her empty cup in the dishwasher.   
“You know, “she began, “I have no idea why you guys brought me back here.  You obviously hate me.”   
“I ain’t said nothing!” he shot back.   
“You don’t have to.  You look at me like you hate me, if you look at me at all!  If you want me to leave I will, as soon as Tara’s well.”   
Daryl was confused.  “What’s Tara got to do with it?”   
“She’s my patient and I’m responsible for her.  I’m not leaving her until I know she’s ok.”   
“I don’t care if you stay or go lady!” he said.  But he thought to himself,  _ ‘Please don’t go.’ _

“You just don’t care about anything, do you?” she shot back.   
That pissed him off.  He thought back to his long search for Sophia, and how he would have protected Beth to his dying breath if need be.  He got up from his stool, and stalked over to her where she stood with her back against the dishwasher.  He put his arms on the counter to the sides of her, trapping her, and got nose to nose with her.  Angel’s breath caught in her throat at how close Daryl was.  He growled, “You don’t know me.  You don’t know what I care about.”  And with that, he was gone out the door.     
Angel thought to herself,  _ ‘Ok, I need to change my panties.’ _


	11. Chapter 11

Angel sat and had herself a think.   _ ‘Ok, I wasn’t very nice,’   _ she concluded.  Daryl was right.  She really didn’t know him.  Angel needed to apologize.

She calmed herself down from their interaction, and headed out the door.  She saw Aaron standing on a porch a few doors down with another guy.   
“Hey Aaron!” she called as she walked over.   
“Angel!” he said, smiling.  “This is my boyfriend Eric.  Eric, this is Angel, the new girl, and hopefully, the new doctor.”   
Angel shook Eric’s hand and told him, “I just came over to thank your man.”   
“For what?”   
“He stepped between me and a loaded gun,” she said, and then turned to Aaron, “And that was really, really brave of you.  You didn’t know me, and you saved my life.  ‘Thanks’ seems kinda inadequate, but that’s all I got….”   
Eric turned to Aaron.  “I don’t know if I should be proud of you for saving her, or angry for stepping in front of a loaded gun.”   
“Be proud,” Angel told him.  “After all, he’s still here.”  Walking down the porch steps, she headed to the clinic.

 

Daryl saw Angel leave the house, so he went back.  He was thinking of going out to hunt, and wanted to know if Carol wanted anything.  She was in the kitchen when he came in.  “Good morning, Pookie,” she told him.  “You smell much better today.”   
“Very funny.  I’m thinking of bagging a couple rabbits if I can.”   
Unbeknownst to Angel or Daryl, Carol had heard their altercation that morning.  She knew that if Angel was already getting under his skin, something was up.  Those two couldn’t see it, but she could.  She was sure that if anyone was around them, they’d see it too.  But she also knew Daryl was stubborn, and Angel likely was as well.     
“Rabbit sounds great, if you can get some.  But you know, they do have some meat here.”   
“I know….can’t stand bein’ behind these damn walls all the time.  These folks don’t know what it’s really like out there.  It ain’t just the dead ya gotta be careful about.  The living are even worse.  Hell, look at the Governor!  Look at Terminus!  Look at Angel!”  He stopped short.  He knew she likely hadn’t told anybody what had happened.   
Carol’s eyes got wide.  “Daryl, what happened to her?”

He walked away.  “I’ll try to get ya a rabbit.”   
  
Angel opened the door to the clinic.  Rosita was already there, as was Eugene, snoring in his chair at Tara’s bedside.   
Tara woke and weakly called out, “Rosita?”  Both women hurried to her bedside.  Tara looked at Angel in confusion.  “I met you yesterday, didn’t I?”   
“Yes, briefly.  Then you were back out.”   
“My head hurts.  So do my ears.”   
“Do you remember the explosion?”    
Tara knitted her brow in concentration.  “Yeah, I do.  How did I get out?”   
They realized Eugene was awake when he piped up, “I carried you.”   
“YOU carried me?”   
“Yes.  You were heavy.  But I carried you.  I couldn’t leave you.  There were walkers.  I wouldn’t let you get hurt.”   
It was very sweet and kind of sad.  It was obvious that Eugene had some feelings for Tara.  Unfortunately, she would never see him as more than a friend.  She was interested in another lady in Alexandria.  It was even sadder to look at Eugene, as he knew all this.   _ ‘Can’t help who you love,’   _ Angel thought.   
Tara smiled at Eugene and said, “Please come here so I can hug the crap out of you.”   
Angel and Rosita decided to give them a little privacy to talk, but Angel heard Rosita whisper to Eugene, “She doesn’t know about Aiden and Noah.”  Eugene said, “I’ll tell her.”

 

When they were far enough away, Angel asked Rosita, “Who are Aiden and Noah?”  Rosita told her the whole story, and Angel’s heart broke.  Aiden was a dick, seemed to be a recurring theme with Deanna’s other son as well, but he redeemed himself in the end.  And poor Noah, still just a damn kid.   
They heard Tara crying behind the curtain.  Eugene came out.  “Um, I told her.  She’s upset.”  Rosita told him, “Why don’t you go back to the house now that she’s awake?”  Angel went to Tara’s side, “I’m really sorry about your friends.”  Tara grabbed her in a hug and cried into her shoulder.  Part of Angel wanted to cut and run, she really wasn’t accustomed to people hugging her.  Even hugging Daryl had been hard for her, and he didn’t seem thrilled about it either.  But this poor kid was hanging onto her and wailing.  So she just let her, and tried to be comforting.  Rosita came over and Tara let go of Angel.  Sniffling, she just said, “I liked Noah.  And Aiden was a jerk, but he didn’t need to die.  I want to go home.  Can I?”  She looked at Angel.

“Well,” Angel said, “if someone can keep an eye on you for the next couple of days you can.”   
  
In the end, Rosita took her back and stayed with her while Angel puttered around the clinic.  She found some medical texts and pulled them out so she could brush up.  She spent the rest of the day reading.   
  
As it started to get dark, Carol asked if anyone knew where Angel was, as dinner was almost ready.  Rosita said, “Last I saw she was at the clinic.  Maybe she got distracted.  Want me to go get her?”   
Carol looked at Daryl sitting and sulking, and said, “No, Daryl will go.”  His head snapped up, “What?”  Carol smiled, “Would you go fetch Angel from the clinic?  She’s so skinny, she really shouldn’t miss dinner.”   
“Why can’t Rosita do it?”   
“Because she’s playing cards with Tara.  Is there a problem between you two?” Now she was worried.  She’d heard their argument this morning, but didn’t think it was too serious.  Had she read all the signals wrong?   
Daryl let out a huff.  “I’ll get her.  Probably paintin’ her nails.”   
  
As he approached the clinic, he noticed how dark it was.  Was she gone?  He would have passed her.   _ ‘Damn, I hope she didn’t leave!’   _ he thought, and walked a little faster.  Going inside, he could see light from a lamp coming from the back.  He walked in and saw Angel, fast asleep.  Her arms were folded on top of a large book, and her head was resting on them.  Her long wavy hair, still loose, was hanging off the side of the desk.  He couldn’t resist reaching out and touching it, and after doing so, was amazed at it’s softness.   _ ‘All girls got soft hair, stupid, they put stuff in it to make it that way….’   _ But in the back of his mind, he knew that it wasn’t all girls.  He knew SHE wasn’t like anybody else.     
  


Daryl walked around to the other side of the desk.  He knew it was creepy as fuck, but he just watched her for a few minutes.  Watched her back rise and fall as she breathed.  Watched her eyes move around under her lids, following whatever was in her dream.  Her lips quirked up slightly, smiling in her sleep, and Daryl found himself smiling, too.  Then, just as suddenly, her brows furrowed, she frowned, and began to twitch and whimper in her sleep.  Daryl didn’t like that one bit.  He wanted to climb into her dream and destroy anybody and anything that was upsetting her.  He put his hand on her shoulder and gently shook her.   _ ‘God damn, even her skin is soft,’   _ he found himself thinking. Giving her shoulder another small shake, he said gently, “Angel, come on, girl.  Rise and shine.”   
She jumped up so fast, her desk chair flew backwards, hitting the wall behind her.  That noise made her whip around, and her eyes were flashing like a wild woman.  She was standing with her knees bent, her arms up ready to defend herself.  Daryl know that look, that stance.  His dad liked to wake him out of a dead sleep by hitting him, before he learned how to be a light sleeper.  He remembered seeing knife scars on her back when they found her in the woods.  Who had hurt her?   
She slowly realized that she was safe, as she looked around the clinic.  Daryl was standing there with an odd look on his face.  Not anger or annoyance.  More like he was figuring something out.  Something about her.  She took a shaky breath and let it out.  Angel pushed her wild hair out of her face and muttered, “Sorry.”  She turned to right the desk chair, and wouldn’t meet his eyes.   
Finally Daryl spoke.  “Carol wanted me to get you for dinner.  I guess you fell asleep reading.  It looked like you were having a nightmare.”   
“Yeah.”   
“Walkers?”   
Angel looked at him.   The only one who really knew much about her was Deanna.  She slumped against the desk, running her hands through her hair again.  Daryl suddenly had the urge to push all that shit on the desk to the floor, tear off her clothes and just TAKE HER.  He pushed the thought away as soon as it happened.   _ ‘What are you, a fucking animal?  The girl almost got raped and killed the other day!’   _ he cursed himself silently.

“No, not walkers.  Stuff from when I was in the military.  It was...a long time ago.  They say war is Hell, and they aren’t lying,” she laughed bitterly.   
Angel looked up at him, looking at her.  She wondered what he was thinking.  She knew he had taken a shower the night before, and he cleaned up VERY well.  He really did have beautiful blue eyes, and he was cute when he wasn’t scowling.  Those arms of his were nice and strong, probably from lugging that crossbow of his around.

At the same time, Daryl was sizing her up as well.  He loved that crazy, dark, wavy hair of hers.  And she had the biggest brown eyes, almost black they were so dark.  She was short, tiny really, but tough as nails.  And those pink lips of hers, they were curving into a smile….   
Angel gave him a big smile, asking, “Did you say dinner was ready?”   
Daryl’s lips quirked up into the closest thing to a smile he would ever have.  “Yep.”   
“Good, I’m starving.”

Angel turned out the light, and they were plunged into darkness.  Suddenly, there was a flick, and Daryl’s lighter lit up.   
“Fire at your fingertips,” she smiled.  “You’re a man of many talents, Mr. Dixon.”   
He grunted, but inside thought  _  ‘Girl, you got no idea….’ _


	12. Chapter 12

As they walked back to the house, Angel spoke, “I wanted to apologize.”  Daryl stopped and looked at her, confused, “For what?”   
“For being a complete twat waffle this morning.”   
He snickered, “That’s one I never heard before.”   
“Daryl!  You’re laughing!  I didn’t think you knew how.”   
“Meh, ain’t much to laugh at these days,” he shrugged.   
“Sure there is.  You just have to look for it.  Does this mean you accept my apology?”   
“Yeah, we’re good.”   
  


They walked the rest of the way in a comfortable silence.  Everyone was already sitting at the table in the dining room when they came in, so they went in the kitchen and sat at the island to eat.  When Daryl sat next to her, she smiled and asked, “Not sitting outside tonight?”  Daryl was suddenly unsure.  Did she want him to go outside and leave her alone?  He just stood there for a sec, until Angel told him, “Sit down already.  I won’t bite, I promise.”  

They ate quietly for a few minutes, then out of nowhere, Daryl said, “Judith does.”   
“Hmm?”

“Judith.  Rick’s baby daughter.  She makes me laugh.  I call her Lil’ Asskicker.”   
Angel almost choked on her juice at that last part.  “Well, she’s been through quite a bit, I guess it fits.”

A little while later, Carol came in carrying some dirty dishes.  She almost dropped them when she saw the two of them sitting side by side, eating dinner and chatting.  Well, Angel was doing most of the talking, but Daryl was actually listening.  She was telling some story about when she worked in the hospital.   
“...and I warned the guy not to bounce the baby around too much, but he said, ‘I’m  the father, and I know my son.’  Sure enough, his bouncing baby boy projectile vomited all over him!”  Daryl started laughing... Carol couldn’t remember the last time he had.   
Angel saw Carol come in and said, “Oh here, let me help…”   
“No need, Rosita already volunteered.”  Carol would be damned if she was going to split them up.   
“What about Tara?”   
“Eugene is playing cards with her and Carl, and Sasha is going to bunk in the room with her to keep an eye on her tonight.”   
“Wow.  I’m really impressed with how much y’all look after each other.”   
“That’s what friends are for.”   
She put the dishes in the sink, and went out to get more.  Suddenly Angel and Daryl didn’t know what else to say to each other.  He took her plate and his and put them in the sink, then leaned against it looking at her, and she at him.   _ ‘Boy, does he have an amazing gaze….he’s a blue eyed devil,’   _ she thought.  All Daryl could think was that he never thought brown eyes were anything special...until now.   
Suddenly Abraham walked in, startling them both.   
“Uh….I didn’t interrupt anything, did I?” the redhead asked.   
Daryl said, “Nah,” and Angel just shook her head.   
“Well good,” he went on.  “Come on Daryl, we got tower duty.”   
As Daryl walked by her, he said, “I liked the hospital story,” and gave her a small smile, then he was gone.

 

With the dishes covered and not much else to do, Angel went up to her room, and changed for bed.  She locked her door, turned off the lights, and crawled beneath the covers, sure she probably wouldn’t sleep for awhile after that nap in the clinic.  How embarrassing.  She was a doctor who used to work 18 hour days.  And she had had a good night's sleep two nights in a row.

 

Of course, her thoughts went to Daryl.  She couldn’t kid herself any longer, she was hot for him.  Angel had managed to meet several people in town, everyone wanted to meet the new doctor.  Although there were some “attractive” men, none of them were like Daryl.  She’d always liked guys a little “rough around the edges”...it was why she didn’t date much.  Guys like that were pretty hard to come by.  After all, she wanted a guy like that, but a lot of them came complete with a police record and a host of other problems.  Angel wondered if Daryl had ever been arrested, not that it mattered anymore.  Hell she almost got arrested once.  A bench warrant was issued for an unpaid parking ticket, of all things.  Wild woman.  Woo.

 

Closing her eyes, she pictured him.  Strong, dark, dangerous.  Those arms, dear god.  Yet somewhat of a gentleman, offering her his vest to cover up in the woods.  Angel had never been one for modesty, but it was still nice.   Riding behind him on the motorcycle was nice.  She’d had to adjust herself on the seat a few times.  That thing was a giant vibrator, and she’d had her arms around the walking personification of HOT.  

 

She slid her hand down into her shorts, but hesitated at the waistband.   _ ‘Should I really do this?’   _ she thought.  She had never been much for masturbation.  Thinking back, Angel couldn’t remember the last time she’d had sex or masturbated.   _ ‘Ah fuck it!’    _ Down into her shorts one hand went, and the other pushed up the little tank top.   
  
Angel was surprised at how wet she was just thinking about him.  She gently ran her index finger in slow circles around her clit, and licked the first 2 fingers of her left hand, then ran them across her nipples, wishing it was his tongue.  Dipping a finger inside her, she bit back a moan, as she slowly pumped it in and out.  In her mind, she was pretending it was his finger.  Teasingly, she pulled it out and ran it around her clit, not touching it.  In her mind, she said,  _ ‘Please Daryl, I want more.’ _  And she imagined him saying,  _ ‘Easy baby, I’ll give you more...’ _

Pinching and pulling on her nipples, she added a second finger in herself, already knowing she wouldn’t last very long.  Angel was still silent, but in her mind, she was screaming, begging,  _ ‘Daryl, please, make me cum!’   _ Pushing her fingers in deeply, she could feel the little spongy bump of her G spot.  She would have to keep it quiet.  The Daryl in her mind told her,  _ ‘You can do it, babygirl.  Nice and quiet, cum for me NOW!’ _   Jamming her fingers furiously inside of her, she came hard, with Daryl encouraging her,  _ ‘That’s my dirty girl...’   _ That sentence alone sent her into a second orgasm, as quiet as the first.  Mouth open in a silent scream, back arched off the bed, two fingers working deep inside her pussy.

 

Slowly, she floated back to earth, never having made a peep.  She pulled her fingers out of her, and slowly licked her juice off of them, smiling in satisfaction.  She still wasn’t tired, but at least she felt better!  Her hand absently stroked her stomach as she wondered what Daryl was up to in the bell tower with Abraham.

 

Daryl was driving Abraham crazy, is what he was doing.  Pacing and fidgety, unable to sit still.  He wished he could have stayed in the kitchen with her and….and what?  He didn’t know, but it had to be better than sitting up here with Big Red.  After 30 minutes, Abraham finally said, “You got ants in your pants or something?”   
“Huh?”

“You haven’t been able to sit still since we got in here.”   
Daryl only grunted in response.   
It finally dawned on Abraham.  “You got the hots for the Doctor!  Can’t say I blame you, she’s pretty damn cute…”

Daryl glared at him and Abraham told him, “Relax.  I got Rosita.  Wouldn’t dream on moving in on your lady.”   
“She ain’t my lady.”   
“You might wanna make her your lady before someone else does.  Guys been looking at her like she’s a shiny new toy.”

This made Daryl angry.  Yeah he had a….”crush” on her or whatever, but more than that, he felt protective of her, ever since they found her in the woods.  He didn’t want anyone to get any ideas.     
“Who’s been lookin’?” he asked angrily.   
“Mainly I noticed Spencer.  Ever since she got here.  As soon as she walked in that gate, he had designs on her.”   
Daryl just laughed.  “Spencer wouldn’t know what to do with her if he had her!  Besides, she’d prolly kick his ass.”   
This made Abraham laugh as well.  “Yeah, she could.  Hell, Judith probably could.  Don’t even know why he’s allowed at the gate after he asked Gabriel to watch it and he left it open.”

It was a quiet night, and Daryl spent the next few hours thinking about who might be interested in her and if he could do anything about it.  Even briefly flirted with the idea of telling her...telling her what, exactly?   _ ‘Hey, I think you’re hot, but I’ve never really had a girlfriend, and I’m not sure what to do.’   _  Oh yeah, that sounded good.  Damn her.  Why did she have to be so damn perfect?

Angel tossed and turned but still couldn’t sleep.  The house was dark and quiet.  She went over and looked out her window.  Right outside was the roof of the porch.  She opened the window and climbed out, tiptoeing to the edge.  She sat down, hanging her legs over the edge, leaning back on her hands, looking at the stars.  She had missed them living in the city.  After everything went to shit, she was able to see them every night.

She thought about her dad.  How he would take her out to the country to show her the stars and tell her all the myths that went with them.  Her dad was sure she would end up working for NASA...her mom thought he was crazy.  Angel was never close with her mom.  Especially after her dad died. Especially after….she reached back and ran her fingertips along her shoulder, feeling one of the scars.  Damn her mother for letting that happen.  Damn her and her pervert boyfriend.  She was glad they were dead.   
Angel shook her head.  Nope, she wasn’t gonna let them taint her happy memories of her dad.  She looked up again, dangling her feet over the edge of the roof.

 

Daryl was walking back to the house after his shift.  What the hell?  Were those legs hanging over the roof of the porch?  Oh shit, was someone dead?  He sped up, but then the legs moved, swinging lazily back and forth.  He knew those legs alright.  He watched quietly for a few minutes, then said softly, “Angel, what you doing up there, girl?”   
Her head peeked over the edge, and she whispered, “Come on up here!”  She went to unlock the bedroom door, and he came up the stairs, and into her room.  Daryl stood there uncomfortably, not sure where to look.  She was wearing those tiny shorts and skimpy top again, and he knew her nipples would be pushing against the fabric.  He didn’t have anything to hide his hard on with.

 

“Come sit outside with me for a bit,” she said.   
“Why?  I was just up in the bell tower.”   
“Just because.  It’s a nice night and all the stars are out, and I can’t sleep.”   
She turned and climbed back out the window, giving him a great view of her ass in the process.

_ ‘This is stupid,’   _ he thought, but followed her out the window, nonetheless.

 

It WAS kind of nice out there, he had to admit, or maybe it was the company.  They sat quietly for several minutes, then Angel laid back.  She shifted a few times, trying to get comfortable, but the tar paper was scratching her.  Daryl watched for a second then said, “Sit up.”  He took off his leather vest and laid it down for her to lay on.

She smiled, “You’re quite the gentleman.  This is the second time you’ve offered me your coat, so to speak.”   
“Ain’t nothin’ gentlemanly about it.  You were gonna keep on squirmin’ and disturbin’ the peace….” he said as he laid back next to her in his sleeveless shirt.She turned and looked at him. “So what do you have against sleeves, anyway?”   
“Just don’t like ‘em.  Never have.”   
“Why don’t you just get some tank tops?”

Even though she was scarred as badly as he was, he couldn’t tell her.  Tank tops showed too much.  People asked too many questions.  They felt sorry for him and he hated that.   
“Why do you ask so many damn questions?”   
Angel was taken aback at how angry he was, he could see it in her face.  He almost apologized, but didn’t.    
She just muttered, “Try to be friendly and you go back to being Grumpy McGrumperson from Grumpsville, Grumptania…”   
“Jesus woman, what’s your problem?  What the hell do ya want from me?” he hissed, sitting up.   
She sat up as well.  “Dammit, Daryl!  I’m planning on being here awhile!  I’m trying to be nice and get along!”   
Nothing got by Daryl.  “You’re staying?”   
“Yes, although your attitude makes me want to rethink that idea!”  Daryl just looked at her, so she continued.  “These people need a doctor.  They have no idea what’s going on out there, and they are bound to get hurt if they go out on a run or something.  It’s kind of nice to think that someone maybe needs me.”   
All Daryl could think was,  _ ‘I need you in the worst way,’ _  but he said, “That’s a good idea.”   
  
Angel laid back down and Daryl did the same.  They were so close their shoulders were touching.  He could feel how smooth her skin was.  He cleared his throat, “So….NASA, huh?”

Angel looked at him with a little smile. “What?”  Did he actually remember what she said that first night?  Was he actually listening?

“Ya dad,” he went on.  “Ya said he wanted ya to work for NASA.”

Angel thought,  _ ‘Well he is just full of surprises.’    _ “Yep.  He taught me all about the stars.  I know all the constellations and all the stories behind them.”   
Daryl just grunted, she guessed he wasn’t much for myths.     
“I can also tell roughly what time it is, what season it is, and which direction is which.”   
Daryl propped himself up on his elbow and looked at her.  “Really?”   
“Yeah.  He thought it was important, in case I ever got lost.”

He was impressed.  She was beautiful, tough, and smart.   
Angel pointed to the sky and said, “You see that really bright star there?”   
“Which one?”   
“Right there.”   
He had to press his head right up against hers so he could see it.  “That one there?” he pointed.   
“Yeah.  Now if you go this way, and like this,” she said moving her hand, “you see those bright stars, how they make like a zig zag or a big W?”   
“Yeah.”   
“That’s Cassiopeia.  She was the Queen of Ethiopia, and very vain.  She told everyone that she was even more beautiful than the nymphs that lived in the sea.  Well, Poseidon, who was the King of the Sea, got very mad at her for that, he was married to a sea nymph.  So as punishment, she was told to sacrifice her daughter, Andromeda.  So they chained her to a rock for a sea monster to find.”

Daryl found himself interested, “So the daughter died because her ma had a big mouth?”   
Angel laughed.  “Well, no.  You see, this Greek God named Perseus happened by.  He fell in love with her and married her.  And that’s a whole story in itself!”   
“So this Cassio person didn’t pay for insultin’ those mermaid things?”   
“That’s not the end of the story.  You see, Poseidon got mad and threw her and her husband up into the sky.  And they say that she sits on her throne up there, looking into her mirror and combing her hair.”   
Daryl had never heard a story like that.  He knew there were some tales around them, but he didn’t see a reason to learn them.  He looked up at the sky, and said, “Doesn’t seem like much punishment.”   
“Well, she’s upside down for 6 months out of the year.  That’s the punishment for her vanity.  I’m guessing you probably don’t look too good after hanging upside down for 6 months!”   
  
Angel sat up and looked at Daryl.  “Did I bore you?”   
“Nah, that was pretty cool.  I never knew the stories.”

She stood up, and brushed some dust off her perfect little ass, then reached over and picked up his vest from the ground, carefully shaking the dust off of it before handing it back.  “I think that’s enough of an astronomy lesson for tonight.  I need some sleep, Mr. Dixon.”   
She climbed back in the window, and he followed.  Daryl went to the door, and turned to say goodnight.  When he did, she got up on her toes and kissed him on the cheek, surprising both of them.   
“Goodnight, Daryl.”


	13. Chapter 13

Angel closed the door and leaned against it.  She kissed him, what was she thinking?  Poor Daryl looked shocked as well.  He had just been so cute, listening to her ramble on, and he actually seemed interested in what she had to say.  It just seemed….right.

 

Daryl walked down the hall to his own room and shut the door.  He was really confused.  First they argue, then she more less tells him a fairytale, then she kisses him.  Yeah it was on the cheek, but still.  He found himself wishing it was more.  Much more.

 

The next morning, Angel set out with Carol to find Deanna.  Finally someone told them she was outside the main gates with Abraham and a few others.  When they got there, they found the two of them arguing along with a few others.

 

“I’m telling you, lady, those braces shouldn’t even be out here!  They’ll be lots of help to anyone trying to knock the gate down!”  Abraham yelled, his face getting as red as his hair.   
“That will never happen!” Deanna countered.  “We will see them with the people posted in the bell tower!”

“You mean the people that you didn’t post until we told you to?”   
“Look, we appreciate your help.  But honestly the braces outside are nothing.  We can’t take them down.  We don’t need to.  This wall is nearly impossible to scale!”

Angel finally spoke up.  “Don’t take them down.  Just put barbed wire or razor wire on the top third to keep people out.”   
Deanna looked at Angel and said, “No one can get up those supports.  The angle is too steep.”

Angel took a few steps back, got a running start, and ran right up one of the supports like a little monkey, sitting her ass down on top of the fence.  She looked at Deanna and said, “No one?  I’m someone.  I got up here.”   
Deanna looked shocked.  Abraham’s face broke into a huge grin.  Carol wasn’t really surprised, she knew Angel was something special.  And from the inside of the fence, Daryl looked up and saw his favorite heart shaped butt perch itself on the wall.  The gate itself was open, he knew Abraham was trying to convince her that the outer supports weren’t safe.  Looked like Angel made his argument for him.  Just as quickly as she had appeared up there, she went back down.  A smile played at his lips.  He liked her spirit.

 

After getting down, Angel spoke to Deanna.  “I’ve decided to stay.  I mean, if I’m allowed to after what I just did.”  Deanna smiled.  She may have made her look like a bit of a fool, but at least she had a reason.  Deanna never thought in a million years that anybody could scale those beams.  She told Angel, “Of  course you can stay.”  Daryl walked up just a Deanna told her, “I can have you set up in your own place by tomorrow.”

Angel got nervous.  “My own place?”   
“Well of course.  There are still several vacant houses.”   
“But I don’t want to live in one all alone.  I’ve never lived in a house like that.  It’s too big for just me.  And I feel like I’m in a Pottery Barn or Ethan Allen home store…..”

Daryl interjected, “What’s wrong with where she is now?”

Deanna and Carol both looked at him surprised, and he rambled on, “I mean, she knows us.  and we got room.  Don’t we Carol?”   
Carol broke into a smile and said, “We most definitely do.” Turning to Angel she asked her. “Would you be ok with staying with us?”

Angel was so relieved.  She trusted Carol and Daryl…..and she liked being under the same roof as the archer.  “Yes, I’d love to stay with you.”   
“Well then it’s all settled.  Welcome to Alexandria, Doctor Beecher.”  Deanna patted her shoulder and smiled.

 

Angel was in the clinic when she first heard the sound of a baby crying.  Looking out the window, she saw Rick coming in with a crying Judith.     
“Oh no,” Angel said, “what’s going on here?”   
“I’m not real sure,” Rick replied, trying hard to calm down Judith.  “She was fine, and then she wasn’t.”   
“Is she cutting any new teeth?”   
“Not that I can tell, but she has a bit of a fever.”   
Angel took out the ear thermometer and quickly checked Judith’s temp.  It was 99.9, so it was  high, but not dangerous.  She pulled out the otoscope and looked in her right ear.   
“Well, this one looks ok.  Does she have any other symptoms?”   
“No, I don’t know what to do.”   
Angel checked the baby’s left ear.  “Oh wow.  If my ear looked like this, I’d be screaming too.”   
“Ear infection?”   
“Yep.  They can come on pretty quick in little ones.  I can give you some meds for her.  Is it ok if I give her a shot of antibiotics to get it going?”   
Rick thought it over quickly and agreed.   
Angel really disliked giving shots to kids, it made them afraid of her.  But poor little Judy was in serious pain.  She pulled the penicillin out, got a syringe, and as soon as she poked the baby in the butt, she started to wail even louder.   
“I know sweetie, I’m so sorry!” she said.   
After going through the cabinets, she gave Rick some liquid antibiotics and some baby Benadryl, so that everyone including the baby, could sleep tonight.

Angel went into the freezer, and got out a little homemade juice pop for Judy.   
“Would you accept a peace offering sweetie?”   
Rick smiled and said, “Juice pops?”   
“Well, I know there are kids here.  Sometimes you gotta bribe them.”

Judith quieted down as she chewed and sucked on the little popsicle, and Rick looked at Angel.  She was smiling at the baby and stroking her little head.  He had to ask.  

“Did you...do you have kids?”   
Her smile faltered briefly.  “No.  I uh….I’m unable to get pregnant.”   
“Oh damn, I’m sorry.”   
“It’s ok.  I had endometriosis when I was a teenager, but it was undiagnosed.  It….did a lot of damage.  I got pregnant not long after I got out of the military.  I was so excited,” she smiled at the memory, “I always wanted a big family.  But right away something was wrong.  The pregnancy was ectopic.  I had to terminate, and the doctors told me I would never be able to carry a baby.  They said I should have a tubal ligation….”   
Rick gave her a questioning look.   
“A tubal ligation is getting your tubes tied,” she explained, and he nodded in understanding so she continued.  “I did that, and the boyfriend I had left.  I guess he couldn’t deal that I couldn’t be his personal baby factory.  Lots of guys I dated didn’t stick around when they found out I couldn’t have kids.”   
That made Rick sad.  People missed out on being around this girl, who was strong, smart, and capable, because of that?  He shook his head.  “I’m so sorry you had to deal with that.”   
“Yeah well….I’m just Little Miss TMI today, aren’t I?  I’m sorry!”   
Rick laughed and said, “Hey, you made Judy stop crying.  I think I could listen to you for a few minutes.  Should I bring her back in a few days?”   
“Yeah.  Bring her back tomorrow if she’s still feverish.”   
  
Rick exited out the back door.  Daryl stood by the front door, having heard everything.  He was mad that guys tossed her aside, too.  Angel was a good woman, not a god damn baby machine.  He had wanted to talk to her about that goodnight kiss, but it seemed stupid to bring it up now.

 

 

ONE WEEK LATER

 

That girl was driving Daryl crazy, just by being there.  Carol kept pushing him to talk to Angel, but he couldn’t.  But today he would.  Yep.  He would go to that clinic, walk right up to her, and…..what?  He wasn’t exactly an expert at these things.

 

He had gone in the clinic a few days ago to talk to her.  Walked in and there she was with her bare foot in Rosita’s lap, and they were both giggling.  “Um, what the hell is this?”  Both girls looked at him like he’d caught them with their hands in the cookie jar.  Finally Rosita said, “I found some nail polish at the house we’re in.  I convinced her to let me paint her toenails.”   
Angel looked at him, “It’s pretty quiet today, so…”

Back at the house, when she walked around barefoot, he found himself looking at 10 hot pink little toenails.  He began to wonder if he had one of those foot fetishes, because she had the cutest little feet and the cutest tiny little toes.  Actually, everything about her was cute and tiny.  Except for that rack of hers.  Damn, he was getting hard again.  Good thing he was in the tower alone today.

It was so hot up there.  He drank some water and rubbed the sweat out of his eyes before raising his binoculars.  That’s when he saw it.  Three figures on foot, headed for the gates.  They seemed to be just regular people, not walkers.  He yelled down, “Got company!  Three people!”

 

Angel was in the clinic reading again when she heard a commotion at the gates.  She ran out to see what was happening.  A man was pleading with Spencer, “Please let us in!  At least let the women in!  This is my wife and she’s pregnant!”   
Spencer was trying to calm him down, saying, “Sir, just wait one moment! The person in charge is on the way!”

These people had been on the road for a while and were in pretty bad shape.  The fact that the wife was pregnant was a miracle in and of itself.  Deanna pushed her way through the small crowd at the gate.  She calmed the man down enough for him to tell her that his name was Harlan Wayne, and the pregnant woman was his wife, Jasmine.  The other woman introduced herself as Emma Lynn Baxter.  They had been traveling together for a while.  With Jasmine pregnant, they were desperate for help.   
Deanna assessed the situation quickly and had them come in.  Daryl came down from the tower to see what was going on.  Angel knew she would have to examine the pregnant woman, so she introduced herself as the town doctor.   
Jasmine said, “A doctor? A real doctor?”

Angel smiled at her.  “Yep.  Went to school for it and worked in a hospital.  I’ve delivered babies.”

Jasmine and Harlan were so excited that they both hugged her.  Harlan told her, “We’ve been so worried!  This is our first child, and we didn’t know what to do…” he trailed off as tears of pure relief flowed from him.   
“Well, it’s not up to me if you stay.  But either way, I can still examine the expectant mother.”   
Angel turned to introduce herself to the other girl, Emma.  But Emma was flirting with Daryl.  

Daryl had already decided he was ok with the couple, but he didn’t like the other girl.  She was all up in his face.   
“Well hi there, cutie.  Been awhile since I seen a real man out there,” the girl said.

“Uh yeah...guys I’m goin’ back up,” he wanted to get away from her.  She reminded him of the lot lizards at the truck stops: hookers trying to fuck their way outta there, except she was trying to fuck her way in.   
“I’ll go with you,” Emma piped up.   
“The hell you will, lady,” Angel told her.   
“You his wife?”   
“No.”   
“Then you don’t get much of a say, do you?”   
Deanna stepped in, “That’s ENOUGH!  Miss Baxter, you will NOT be accompanying Daryl anywhere.  All three of you need to come to the main house so I can interview you.  Then I will decide if you stay or not.  Mrs. Wayne, whether or not we allow you to stay, we can still have Angel examine you, if you’d like.  Now all three of you need to come with me.”   
Angel went back to her clinic to wait for Jasmine.

 

Harlan and Jasmine showed up within the hour, excited.  Deanna was letting them stay.  They also told her that they had met Emma on the road, she wasn’t a “friend”, but she had helped them.   
Angel helped Jasmine up on the table, saying, “So you’re about 8 months, yeah?”   
Jasmine and Harlan were shocked.  “Oh no,” Jasmine said.  “I’m only 6 months along.”   
“That’s impossible.”   
“No,” Harlan told her.  “It’s true.  We were trying to…..’abstain’ since we didn’t have a safe place to stay.  We lucked into a storage place that had some other people, and they took us in, so we, uh…”   
“Celebrated?” Angel asked.   
“Yeah.  We were only there for a few weeks.  One of the guys just flipped out and let those things in, so we ran.  Jasmine had already started getting sick, we were pretty sure that she was pregnant then.”

“Are you absolutely SURE?”   
“Yes,” he told her.  “I kept track with my watch.  It has dates on it.  That was six months ago.”

Harlan stepped out while Angel gave Jasmine a quick pelvic exam.  When they were done he came back, and Jasmine asked, “Am I ok?  Is my baby ok?”   
Angel smiled at her.  “You are 100% fine.  Slightly malnourished, but don’t worry, you’ll have plenty to eat here.”  She checked Jasmine’s blood pressure, which was fine, and her heart and lungs, both of which were good and strong.  She moved the stethoscope down to her belly, telling her, “We don’t have an ultrasound here, so I can’t tell you if it’s a boy or girl, but I’ll take a listen to it’s heart.”   
Angel placed the stethoscope on Jasmine’s pregnant belly, and heard the baby’s heartbeat: good and strong.  She slid it to another spot and listened.  Her mouth dropped open, and her eyes got wide.  Harlan exclaimed, “What?  What’s wrong with our baby?”   
Angel took the stethoscope out of her ears and looked at them.  She told them, “Absolutely nothing is wrong….with EITHER of them.  That’s why you’re so big.  You're having twins.”

The Wayne’s looked at each other and then Harlan let out a loud whoop.  Jasmine started laughing, “Twins?  Are you sure?”   
“Yep, I heard two very distinct little heartbeats.  Congratulations!”

 

Angel walked into the house at the end of the day.  She saw Daryl, Rick, and another man named Tobin poring over some maps.   
“What’s going on?” she asked.  “Not that I’m upset at a house full of handsome men, but it’s not even my birthday.”   
Rick chuckled.  “We’re planning a run.”   
“Good.  I need something.”   
Daryl looked at her with a small smile and asked, “Nail polish?”

She smiled at him.  “Haha, smartass.   No.  Where’s the closest hospital?”  
Tobin said, “Probably back near Alexandria proper.  It’s not safe.”  
“What do ya need?  Bandages or something?”  
Angel sighed.  “An incubator.”

All the men looked at her.  Rick figured it out first.  “For that Jasmine lady?  Do you think she’ll need it?”   
“Rick, she is only 6 months along.  She’s having twins.  Yes, we NEED it.”

Daryl was still confused, so Angel explained to him that multiples rarely went to full term.  They could put both in one incubator, but they really needed it.

“There was a birthing hospital!” Tobin exclaimed.  “Right over near Bailey’s Crossroads!  They’d have incubators!”   
That was perfect.  It would have incubators and other supplies as well.  They went over the maps and Tobin showed them where it would be.   
“I used to drive by it every day on my way to work.  Always had a lot of the nursing students going in and out.”   
Angel was relieved.  “Can we go tomorrow?”  
Daryl looked at her.  “‘We’?  You ain’t goin’.”   
“The Hell I’m not!”  
“You’re stayin’ here where you’re safe.”   
“I am going with you.”   
Rick stepped in, “I agree with Daryl.  You’re our only doctor.  We can’t risk you getting hurt.”

Angel was pissed.  She could see their point, but then she told them, “I understand, but do you know what I need?  Which wires are and aren’t needed?  And Rick, there’s a good chance that some of those incubators…..will still have babies in them.  I don’t think you need to deal with that.  Besides, it’s not like I can’t shoot or fight.  I can hold my own.”  Rick and Daryl knew she was right, and Tobin was siding with her.  Angel had to go with them.

 Carol came in then, and everybody noticed the way Tobin stood up straight and smiled at her.  “Oh hello, Tobin.  Are you staying for dinner?  I made plenty,”  she smiled at him. _‘Carol’s got a crush!’_ Angel thought.  Looking at Daryl and Rick, she saw that they noticed it, too.  Tobin smiled at Carol, “Oh...I don’t want to impose.”  
Carol replied, “Don’t be silly!”  
“Well, if you’re sure, and nobody minds…”  
Angel practically shouted, “Nobody minds!”

 

At dinner, Daryl and Angel stayed in the kitchen together again.  It had become their regular routine.  Daryl finally said something.

“Um, you kissed me on the cheek last week.”

“Yeah, I did.”  Her mind was racing, and she couldn’t think of anything else to say.   
“Why?”

Silence, then….  “Because I wanted to, I guess.  Should I be apologizing?” she turned to him.  He didn’t know what to say, either.  Why did he bring it up?

Suddenly Judith started crying from the other room, Daryl yelled to Rick, “I got her,” and left.  Angel wasn’t sure what to do.  She liked him.  Did he like her?  She chuckled at the thought of passing him a note, like in elementary school, saying, “Do you like me?  Y  or  N.”

Going into the room with Judith’s crib, she was surprised at what she saw.  That big, rough redneck was holding the baby in his arms and gently rocking back and forth, while she chewed on the shoulder of his leather vest.  He was so gentle with her, humming softly.    
“She ok?” Angel asked.  Daryl turned slowly to face Angel.  “Yeah, I think she was just lonely in here.”  Angel walked over and gently put her hand on the baby’s forehead.  “She’s such a little sweetheart.”

Daryl put the baby back in the crib and turned to her.  “Please don’t go tomorrow.”   
“Daryl, don’t. I have to.”   
“I know, but I don’t like it.”   
“Gotta remember that I took pretty good care of myself before you came around.”   
“Yeah, I know.”   
They stood in the darkened room looking at each other.  Finally he just sighed and said, “Promise me that you’ll stay close.  I promise I’ll keep you safe.”   
“Yeah?  All safe and sound?”   
“Yeah.  And in case something happens...” Daryl then crossed the room, took her face in his hands, and kissed her.


	14. Chapter 14

Daryl kissed her on the lips, then turned and walked out, kicking himself all the way.   _ ‘God dammit!  What did she just get away from?  Lucky she didn’t knock my damn head off!  Prolly thinks I’m some damn animal!’ _

Back in the dark in Judith’s room, Angel was still standing there like a moron, with a goofy smile on her face.  She wasn’t sure where that kiss came from, but it was nice.  VERY nice.  Daryl had some damn soft lips for such a rough guy.  And it was just a peck, but it nearly knocked her over.  Why did he run away?  Was he embarrassed?  Shit, that was really confusing.  Angel was gonna need some time to process this weirdness, and she guessed Daryl would, too.  But so far, she was liking Alexandria.

 

The next morning, she was loading some packs into the car, along with her bow and arrows.  Abraham walked up to her, “Hey there, Tiny!”   
“Hey Abraham,” she smiled at him.  She liked the big guy.  Rosita, of course spoke highly of him, but so did just about everyone else.  And he liked her because she was so tough….and liked her even more when she had shimmied up that brace in front of Deanna.   
“You be extra careful out there, ok?” he told her.   
“I always am.  Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.  We ALL will.”   
Daryl watched the exchange.  Angel had managed to win over just about everybody in Alexandria.  She was a little firecracker, but had a good heart.  She saw him watching her, smiled, and walked to him.

“Hey Daryl.”   
“Hey.”  He started packing stuff into the car.

“You gave me quite a smooch last night….”   
Daryl turned red, and he knew it.  “Yeah?  So?”     
Angel’s smile faded.  “Um….it was nice.  I just thought I should tell you….I liked it.”   
“Yeah well ya told me. Feel better now?” he snapped.  Daryl was hating himself for acting this way.  But he didn’t know any other way to act.  He saw the hurt evident on Angel’s face.  She walked away, calling out, “Hey Tobin, Rick!  Who’s driving?”

 

As soon as Tobin said he would drive, Angel called shotgun.  She didn’t want to sit next to Daryl, nor did she want to spend the whole trip looking at the back of his stupid head for the short ride.  Tobin gave them the lowdown, it was a small two story building, but as he had never been inside, that was all he knew.   
  
When they got there, they realized the place must have been overrun quickly: there were cars in the lot.  The vehicles were covered in dirt, and the tires had gone flat from sitting in one place so long.  Tobin cut the engine, and they silently rolled into the rear of the lot.  It was too quiet.  They knew there had to be walkers.  Angel got out of the car quietly with her bow and arrows.  “What the hell you doin’ girl?” Daryl hissed angrily.  She held a finger up to her lips, as she crouched between two cars.  Picking up a good sized rock, a smile came to her face.  She pulled her little slingshot out of her back pocket, slid in the rock and aimed at a car that looked like it had been really nice at some point.  Angel was banking on the car having an alarm.  If it still had any juice in the battery, it would go off.  She aimed, and let it fly.    
THUNK!!!

Followed by the sound of a car alarm.  Yes!  They stayed hidden while they watched those things pour out of the birthing center, searching for the sound, and swarming the old car.   
With most of them distracted, they were able to run in and close the doors.  They knew that they would still have to clear the building, but Angel had just made their job much easier.  Rick turned to her once they got inside.  “That was smart thinking, girl!”  Then he turned to Daryl and said, “And when she pulled out that slingshot, you said it was stupid!”   
Angel wouldn’t even look at Daryl.

They slowly made their way along the ground floor, running into a few walkers.  Some had been doctors and nurses.  The ground floor seemed to be mainly offices and classrooms.  They cleared them one at a time, taking whatever supplies they found.  Rick turned to Tobin, “They ain’t got much.  Hope the second floor is better.”   
They headed up the stairs, Daryl and Angel in the lead with their bows, Rick and Tobin close behind, holding up guns fitted with silencers.  As they neared the top, a group of three walkers came around the corner.  Angel moved quickly, shooting one, and pulling out and throwing her knife on another in the time it took Daryl to shoot the third and reload.  Tobin said quietly, “Damn girl, you’re quick!”  She just smiled.  Daryl looked annoyed.  At the top of the stairs, there was a central nurses station, and then  long hallway going in both directions.   
“Why don’t we go through all the rooms and clear them, then bring back everything we can to the nurses station,” Angel said.  “We can look for bags too.  The nurses and students probably had some.  Keep an eye out for any kind of doctors or student lounge.  If you find the incubators, whistle and I’ll come.”   
Tobin and Rick went in one directions, while Angel and Daryl went another.  They went quietly from room to room, killing corpses of doctors, students, and in one case, an expectant mother.  It was horrifying.   
They came to a door marked “Lounge”.  Looking at each other, they quietly entered.  About 7 walkers came out of nowhere.  They started shooting but were in close quarters, getting backed up to a wall..  Dropping her bow, Angel pulled out her knife and stuck it in the head of the walker closest to her, yanking it out as the thing fell.  She hated fighting them.  She would rather run from them than fight, that was how she survived.  Unlike people, these things didn’t get injured or tired.  She stabbed another as did Daryl.  He yelled out, “Rick!  Tobin!  We need help!”  Angel saw another door, grabbed Daryl by the arm, and fought over to it.  She was just pushing him through when one of those things grabbed hold of her, knocking her down and landing on top of her.   _ ‘This is it,’   _ she thought.   _ ‘This is how I die.’ _

Arms pinned under her, she was unable to defend herself.  But Daryl turned.  Moving quicker than he ever had in his whole life, he stabbed the walker that was about to take a bite out of Angel.  It collapsed on her, and Daryl picked it up and threw it at the others, buying them a few precious seconds.  Angel got up and Daryl grabbed her hand as they went through the other door, unable to close it behind them.  They were in a locker room of sorts, but there was no way out.  Grabbing Daryl’s hand, Angel ran down near the end of the row of lockers, shoved Daryl inside one, and squeezed in next to him, barely able to pull the door shut.

They watched through the vent in the door as the walkers strolled by, confused.  Daryl and Angel could hardly breathe, they were so close, nose to nose, literally.  She was shaking out of fear and adrenaline.  He couldn’t move much, but he took her hand in his, stroking it gently.  She mouthed to him,  _ ‘I can’t breathe!’   _ He tilted his head so he could whisper in her ear quietly, “You're ok.  Plenty of air in here.”   
Daryl pulled back and looked into her eyes, wide with panic.  Whispering in her ear, he said, “Close ya eyes.  Plenty of room, plenty of air.  Nice and cool….”  He pulled back and looked at her.  Angel had her eyes closed, and was trying to breathe quietly but steady.  They heard footsteps running in, and the unmistakeable sound of silenced gunshots, and the sound of walker bodies dropping.  Then Rick’s voice, slightly panicked, “Angel?  Daryl?”  Angel’s eyes flew open and she replied, “We’re here!”  She opened the metal locker door and they both stepped out.  “We’re ok!  Are you guys ok too?”     
Tobin breathed a sigh of relief.  “We’re good.  We came as fast as we could.  There was a ton of them blocking the way.  We think we found….where the babies were. We didn’t get a chance to check for sure.”   
“Yeah well she almost got bit since ya took your sweet time!” Daryl snapped.

“Daryl, stop,” Angel said quietly.  “Almost doesn’t count anymore.  I didn’t get bit.  I’m fine.  I knew this was a risk.”   
Daryl was still fuming, and walked out saying, “Whatever,” over his shoulder.

 

Rick and Tobin led the way, they stopped at a closed door, next to a plate glass window.  It was shattered and bloody.  It was the newborn nursery.  Tobin said, “There aren’t any walkers in there, we’re pretty sure.  But I just can’t go look in those incubators.  I just can’t,” he lowered his eyes in shame.  Angel put a hand on his shoulder.  “It’s ok.  I’ll go.”

Rick said, “Hey, I’ll go too-”   
“Absolutely not!  You stay out here.  You’re a daddy.  You don’t need to see that.”   
She had retrieved her bow from the lounge, as well as her knife and arrows from the bodies of the dead.  She loaded an arrow, and opened the door.  Daryl was behind her.  “Ya ain’t goin’ alone,” he told her.  The tone he used let her know there would be no arguing.

They crept quietly to the rear of the room that had once been cheerful.  Walls painted yellow, with a scene of cartoon bunnies at a picnic, now marred with bloodied handprints.

There were four incubators lined up.  Angel and Daryl looked at each other.  She walked up to the first one: empty.   
The second one was as well.   
The third one just had a blanket folded in it.

And then she looked in the fourth one.

 

Angel knew she should have stopped after the first one, but her damn curiosity got the better of her.  The remains of a baby were in there.  It wasn’t alive, or even dead/alive.  It wasn’t in one piece, and what was left was more or less mummified.  Standing behind her, Daryl saw her shoulders slump, her bow drop to the floor, and her shoulders shake as she started to cry.  He stepped up to her, putting a hand on her shoulder, and saying, “Hey…”  That was all she needed, she turned around, clutched him and began to cry even harder.  He looked over her shoulder into the one incubator at the end.  He muttered, “Jesus,” then picked up a blanket and covered it.  Angel pulled away from Daryl wiping her eyes.  “Dammit, I hate crying,” she muttered.  She walked over to the cabinets lining the wall, and opened the upper ones.  It was full of neatly folded cloth diapers, packages of disposables, and cans of baby formula.  It was a goldmine.  She called in Rick and Tobin, and had them fill their packs with anything and everything.  Daryl checked the other cabinets and started pulling out supplies and stacking them on the floor, while Angel carefully unhooked an incubator from the wall.

Suddenly Tobin said, “How are we going to get all this out of here?”  Rick gave him a look and said, “With the car.”   
“No, I mean how will we get to the car and load all this.  Those were a lot of walkers we lured out.  That car alarm stopped a while ago.  The doors are locked so they can’t get in, but how do we get out?”   
Angel smiled.  “I’m way ahead of you.”

 

She had seen a boombox in one of the classrooms.  With all the supplies they had found, there were batteries.  “I’ll sneak out to the tree line, and start up this boombox.  It’s got some textbook stuff on it, must be like a book on tape.  I’ll turn it all the way up.  That will distract them, and when they get distracted, Tobin can get the car and bring it around, and you guys can load it.  Easy peasy.”   
Daryl immediately vetoed her idea.  “That’s way too dangerous.  They could go after you.  You wouldn’t be able to make it back to the car.”   
“So?  Pick me up on the road.”   
“Uh uh.  Think of something else.”   
Angel was pissed.  “I’m not asking for your permission.  If you’ve got a better idea, I’d love to hear it.  Otherwise, get out of my way.  If worse comes to worse, I’ll shimmy my ass up a tree, and you can come back for me.”   
Daryl didn’t like this one bit.  He felt she was being reckless.  It’s not that he didn’t think she was capable, he did.  He just didn’t want her to risk her ass.   
Angel spoke again.  “Look, I’m the smallest person here.  Small, quick, and hard for them to catch.  And I’m practically part monkey with the way I climb.  I promise you, I’ll be fine.  Just cover me on my way out.”   
Daryl grabbed her hand.  “Just...be careful.”   
They opened the rear door, and she scampered out.  A few walkers saw her and gave chase, but she was too quick.  She disappeared behind the tree line, and then they heard a droning voice talking about placentas.  The walkers started to head for it, and Tobin snuck out to the car.  When the lot was mostly walker free, he pushed the car to the door.  He was afraid starting it would draw them back.  They loaded it as quickly as they could: all the packs of supplies and the incubator.  They got in, and Tobin started it, then beeped the horn to let Angel know they were done.  Watching the treeline, they saw walkers start to come out, but no Angel.  With walkers drawing ever closer, Rick said, “Pull out onto the road.  Maybe she’s out there.”  Daryl was getting nervous, where the hell was she?

They pulled out and drove slowly along the trees, looking for her.  Suddenly a movement caught their eyes.  There was Angel bounding happily out of the woods, like she’d just got back from a picnic.  Sliding in the backseat next to Daryl, she said brightly, “Hi guys!  Miss me?”

Tobin started laughing and told her, “Little lady, you are one smart cookie!  I’m sure glad you’re on our side!”

 

The ride back was calm and uneventful.  Everyone lost in their own thoughts.  Rick was glad they had gotten supplies.  Tobin was glad to be going back to Carol all in one piece.  Angel was relieved to have the needed incubator.  And Daryl, well, he was glad to have Angel.  He had never been so relieved as he was when she came traipsing out of the woods...although he’d be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy being pressed against her in that locker.  If only the circumstances had been better.

He had it bad, and he knew it.  But how was he supposed to deal with it?


	15. Chapter 15

The gates of Alexandria opened, welcoming them back home.  A group of people came out to greet them and help collect the supplies.  Rosita and Abraham took the incubator and medical supplies to the clinic for her.     
Angel looked around.  Tobin was getting fussed over by Carol, they were so cute together.  Rick was getting hugged by Jessie.  And then there was Daryl….and Emma.  Oh for the love of god, there she was, sidling up to Daryl.   
Daryl was looking for Angel in the group of people and had just laid eyes on her when he felt someone push up against him and say, “Hey there, handsome.”   
He turned and was greeted by Emma’s face in extreme close up.  He took a step back to get away.  She was wearing a ton of makeup (where did she even get any in this world?), caked on like a damn mask.  It was pretty horrible.  He never minded girls wearing makeup, but that Tammy Bakker look was awful.   
She kept stepping into his personal space.  “I’m so glad you made it back, I was so worried about you,” she purred, “especially with that girl, she don’t look too tough.”  Daryl turned to Emma and said, “That girl is tougher than most of the guys here!  Angel saved my ass today, and got us a ton of medical supplies.  Don’t go talkin’ ‘bout things ya don’t know nothin’ about.”  He looked for Angel, and saw her walking into the house.  Daryl pushed Emma away and walked to the house.

Emma  was furious.  Who the hell did he think  he was, pushing her away?  She was the best looking girl in Alexandria!  She still bleached her roots, unlike some of these women who were starting to go gray!  She still wore makeup, unlike these women who were sweaty and blotchy!  The end of the world was no reason to let yourself go!  Emma had stocked up on hair dye and make up when she found it...luckily it wasn’t high on the list for looters.  She should have her pick of any guy, and she wanted Daryl.  Unfortunately, he seemed to have a stupid crush on that damn doctor lady.  That bitch who thought she was so damn high and mighty.  She’d fix her.  Looking around, she saw a new guy, Brian.  Meh, he’d do for the night…..

 

By the time Daryl got to the house, Angel was in the shower.  He debated waiting on the stairs for her, but knew that if she came out in that towel again, all bets were off.  He decided to go in his room and wait, maybe catch a cat nap.  Besides, girls always seemed to take forever.  Entering his room and closing the door, he flopped down on the bed, exhausted.  He could hear the shower running, and his thoughts turned to Angel.  That girl was gonna be the death of him, and she didn’t even know it.  He really needed to figure out a way to talk to her, to tell her….tell her what?   _ ‘Hey, ya really hot, and ya keep givin’ me hard ons.  We should be together.’   _ Daryl chuckled at that.  Her response would likely be a right hook.  Nah, that wasn’t the way.  

He thought of them pressed together in that locker.  In any other circumstance, he would have been all over her.  But they were hiding from the damn walkers, it was hot as hell, and she couldn’t breathe in there.  He just did all he could think of: had her close her eyes, held her hand, and tried to keep her calm.  Her damn hands were so soft.  Daryl thought back to when he went to the clinic and found her asleep….how her hair and skin had felt so soft.  And even squeezed in that locker covered in sweat and walker brains, she still smelled incredible.  He was never going to be able to talk to her tonight, he was rock hard.   
Reaching down, he undid his pants enough to pull out his cock and slowly began to stroke it.  He could hear the shower still running, and imagined her tight little body under the spray.  He squeezed his dick slightly, and felt precum ooze out.  Running his fingertips over the head of his cock, then spreading it down his shaft.  Daryl thought of Angel in the shower, imagined himself in there with her, soap slicked hands sliding across her body, across that silky skin of hers.  Across those beautiful tits of hers that seemed to defy gravity.  Across that heart shaped ass that he wanted to squeeze and bite and spank.  He was stroking faster and faster, knowing he wouldn’t last.  He thought of his fingers sliding between her legs, so wet, and sliding two fingers into her.  Imagined her eyes closing, and that hot little mouth opening in a gasp.  Imagined himself holding those fingers absolutely still and telling her, “Get yaself off, babygirl,” then watching her thrust her body onto his fingers again and again, until she cried out….   
Daryl blew his wad then, all over his stomach, chest, and hand, while quietly breathing out her name,  _ ‘Oh Angel….Angel….’ _

He wiped himself off with a t-shirt and threw it in the laundry basket.  He could either figure out a way to talk to her and see if she had feelings for him, or he could beat off every night for the rest of his life.     
  


The shower shut off just as he dozed off, a small smile on his face as he thought,  _ ‘She’s naked on the other side of that wall right now….’ _

 

Angel finished showering and got ready for bed.  It had been a very long day.  The house was quiet.  Carol had gone over Tobin’s for the evening, and that made Angel smile.  Carol had opened up to her in the short time she had been there.  She learned that Carol had lost her husband (although she wasn’t sorry about that bastard) and her daughter Sophia.  She also learned that Daryl had searched tirelessly for the little girl, never wavering in his belief that she was out there and he could bring her home.  Angel already thought Daryl was a good man, and that just proved it.   
However, his taste in women seemed to be lacking.  That nasty Emma seemed to be happy to keep him company.    As soon as she saw that trashy girl coming up to Daryl, she just left.  She sure as hell didn’t want to watch them play tonsil hockey.  The thought turned her stomach.  Emma may have been nice enough to help Harlan and Jasmine, but as soon as she walked in that gate and saw Daryl, that was all she cared about.   
  


Angel looked down to the other end of the hall.  Daryl’s bedroom door was closed, so she knew he was there.  Oh god, what if he had Emma in there with him?  Angel tiptoed down the hall and pressed her ear to the door.  She couldn’t hear anything, but that didn’t mean that ho wasn’t in there.   
Walking back to her own room, Angel shut the door and climbed into bed.  She was so exhausted, she was asleep in minutes.

 

When Angel woke, the sun was already up.  Strange, as she usually woke with the sun, and judging from where it was, it was about 9:00 a.m.  Even stranger, was the quiet.  She could usually hear something: people on the street, kids playing, something.  Throwing on jeans, a tshirt, and some boots, she went downstairs to see what was happening.  The house was still, and she walked out the front door….   
It was a mess.  Stuff was everywhere.  It was like the houses had been looted and everything just tossed out randomly.  Where was everyone?  Looking down the street, Angel saw Daryl.  He was standing with his back to her, shoulders slumped, looking at the ground.  Running to him, she grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.  “Daryl!  What happened?  I can’t-”

Angel froze when he turned.  “Oh no, Daryl….no no no…”   
His milky eyes focused on her, his throat torn out, his hands reaching for her.  “No no no!”  She turned to run but tripped over some of the crap on the ground and fell backward, and he was on top of her, his hands clawing into her shoulders, and he was saying her name, “Angel…”

 

“Angel!  Damn it!  Come on girl, it’s me, Daryl!  Wake up!”  Angels eyes snapped open.  Daryl was on top of her shaking her.  She nearly killed them both throwing him off herself and jumping out of bed.  Daryl hit the ground with a loud, “Oof!” The first thing he noticed was how strong she really was.  The second thing he noticed was that she wasn’t wearing her sleep shorts tonight, just some tiny white panties.   _ ‘Oh hot damn,’   _ he thought.  Angel had rolled out of bed knocking the wind out of herself in the process, and was now standing in the corner holding her knife, wild-eyed and terrified.   

Daryl ran over and turned on the light so they could both see.  Angel was still in the corner, holding the knife out in front of her, shaking all over.  Daryl took a step toward her, but she kept the knife raised, saying, “Stay away!”  He knew it had something to do with whatever nightmare she had.  Staying where he was, he put up his hands, and just quietly said, “Angel, it’s me, Daryl.  I’m ya friend, ya know that.”   
She lowered the knife a bit, squinting her eyes to look more closely at him.  Tears filled her eyes, she dropped the knife, and ran to him, throwing her arms around him, and just saying, “It’s you, it’s really you…”  Daryl was confused, to say the least.  He pulled away from her and looked at her beautiful, frightened face.  “What happened?”

They sat on her bed and she told him about her nightmare.  Waking up to silence, finding everyone gone outside, finding Daryl turned into a walker, and him beginning to attack her.  She turned her big eyes to his, and asked, “Was I screaming very loud?”   
Oh how he would love to hear her ask that under different circumstances!  “Nah,” he told her, “I dozed off, I guess.  Woke up to use the bathroom and heard ya makin’ sounds.  I thought maybe ya had...a guest.  But then ya kept sayin’ no louder and louder.  Guest or not, he was gonna be leavin’.  So I came in and saw ya were havin’ a helluva nightmare, and tried to wake ya…”

Angel smiled at him.  “You thought somebody was trying to hurt me and came to my rescue, huh?”

He shrugged.   
She said, “Thanks for caring enough to watch out for me.  But no, no guest.  That’ll be the day.  But I’ll let you get back to YOUR guest…”   
Daryl was confused.  “What guest?”   
“Are you….I mean, isn't….isn’t Emma with you?”   
Daryl didn’t know if he should laugh or be offended.  “Why the hell would Emma be with me?”

“Well, she seems to like you an awful lot….”   
“Well maybe I don’t like her, ever think of that?”   
“I guess not.”   
Daryl couldn’t handle looking at her in the thin little top and those white panties.  He was fighting getting an erection, and knew he was about to lose the battle.  “Best be gettin’ back to bed.  It’s late.”   
She smiled that adorable smile at him.  “Yeah, goodnight.”   
He turned to walk down the hallway before she could see the tent he was pitching.   
  
The next day Angel was in the clinic when Jasmine came in.  Her stomach had been hurting since the night before.  Angel double checked that she wasn’t going into premature labor, and that the babies weren’t in distress.  Everything was fine, so she asked Jasmine what she had eaten in the last 24 hours.   
“Well let’s see.  I had just a little bit of toast and juice this morning because it was hurting when I woke up.  Last night Sasha brought over some beef stew for us for dinner.  Lunch we had some spaghetti.”   
“Is that everything?” Angel asked her.

“Yes….” Jasmine told her, looking guilty.

“Jasmine….what are you hiding?”   
“Well, Aaron brought me a giant jar of pickles the other day.  They were just so good…”   
“How many?” Angel was trying not to giggle at her.   
“Like….four?”   
That was it, Angel started to laugh.  “Jasmine, you probably have gas!”

“What?  No!”

Suddenly Jasmine put a hand to her belly, looked at Angel with big wide eyes, and let out an earth shattering burp.  Her hand flew to her mouth as her face turned bright red from embarrassment.  Poor Jasmine, she just kept apologizing, while Angel was almost on the floor laughing.  She just couldn’t help it.  And Jasmine, over and over again with, “I’m so sorry!  Oh my god, that is so disgusting!  I can’t believe I just did that!”

Angel regained her composure.  “Oh sweetie, it’s fine.  I worked in bars while I was in college.  I heard enough burps, farts, and dirty jokes, they don’t even faze me anymore.”   
She gave Jasmine a glass of water and confirmed that yes, her belly felt better.  “Jasmine, can I ask you about something?”   
“Of course.”   
Angel had her come sit by the window in the sun.  “So is Emma a friend?”   
Jasmine measured her words carefully.  “She’s not an enemy.  But calling her a friend is a stretch.  She did help us out, I won’t lie.  She would stay with me when Harlan went out to look for food.  I couldn’t have handled waiting on my own, and Harlan wasn’t about to let me go with him.  So she would stay, keep me company, help keep watch.  But honestly, I don’t trust her.  I never did.  She came on to Harlan more than once.  He finally had some harsh words with her.  Told her he was a married man, only interested in me, and if she caused any more trouble, we’d leave her behind somewhere.  She was angry at us for that, but she stopped doing it.  It seems like she’s got designs on your man now, I’m sorry to say.”   
“My man?  I don’t have a man.”   
“Aren’t you and Daryl together?”   
“No.”   
“Wow, you could have fooled me!  There is some serious electricity between you two!”   
“Oh stop it!”   
“Look, if he ain’t yours, and you want him….girl, you better say something.  Otherwise she’ll be on him like white on rice.”   
Angel fell silent and thought about what Jasmine had said.  Changing the subject, Jasmine spoke again.  “Did you know that me and Harlan were high school sweethearts?”

“No I didn’t!  That is so sweet!”   
Jasmine smiled, “Yup.  We knew each other in middle school.  He didn’t ask me out until sophomore year though.  And we’ve been together ever since.  He’s the only man I’ve ever been with.”   
“Aw Jasmine, that is so romantic.”   
“We got married right out of high school.  He was working as a mechanic and I worked at a drugstore.  We tried for so long to have children…” her voice faltered.  She stopped and rubbed her belly.  “Angel, so you think my babies will be ok?”   
Angel looked at her.  Jasmine was really scared.   
“Jasmine, there is nothing wrong with them.  The only thing I was worried about was you going into labor early.  But now that we have the incubator, everything will be fine.”   
“But we tried for so long.  Why am I pregnant now, after 10 years of nothing?” she was starting to cry.   
Angel told her, “Maybe that was it?  Sometimes people try really hard for a really long time.  Then when they stop ‘trying’, boom, they get pregnant.”   
“You don’t think that it has anything to do with the virus that happened?”

“Absolutely not.  Look at Rick’s daughter, Judith.  She is perfectly healthy,” she reached over and patted Jasmine’s belly, “and these two will be also.  They are going to be so loved.”   
Jasmine hugged Angel and had a good cry.  The doctor was right, her babies would be fine.  Drying her eyes, she told Angel, “I’m so sorry I wasted your time.”   
“You didn’t waste my time!  You are an expectant mother, and also, you’re my friend.”   
“Yes,” Jasmine smiled, “I am.”   
“You can come over here anytime you want.  If you want to talk, or have a good cry, or even let out a horrible burp!”   
Jasmine said, in mock anger, “I don’t have to take this from you!  I’m leaving, and I’m taking my burps with me!”   
Angel just could not stop laughing.


	16. Chapter 16

Abraham and Rosita stopped by the clinic that afternoon.  “Hey Tiny!” Abraham boomed as they came in.   
“Well how are two of my favorite people?”  Angel had become close to Rosita who worked in the clinic every other day, and the big red head could be tough, but around the two ladies was nothing but a big teddy bear.  They sat down to chat and visit for a few, interested to know what had happened on the run the day before.   
When Angel got to the part about her and Daryl being crammed in the locker together, Abe and Rosita looked at each other and smiled.   
“What?” Angel asked.

“You and Daryl all pushed up together in a confined space?  Hubba hubba!” Rosita said.   
“Not really.  It was hot and sweaty…”   
“Even better!” Abe interjected.   
“....and then I got claustrophobic and felt like I couldn’t breathe.  There was nothing sexy or ‘hubba hubba’ about it.  Trust me.  We were hiding from walkers,” Angel said.  None of them were aware that Daryl had felt very ‘hubba’ about it.  And Angel conveniently left out how he held her hand.

They visited for a bit longer before the couple had to go.   
“By the way,” Abraham said, “did you hear about the barbecue?”   
Angel shook her head.   
“Tobin is going to have a barbecue at his house this weekend and we’re all invited.  You gonna come?”   
Angel smiled and replied, “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”   
  
Rick and Daryl were outside the gates doing a perimeter check.  Rick said, “I heard Angel made a bit of a fool of Deanna by climbing up the braces the other day.  That girl is pretty interesting.”   
“I guess.”

They worked in silence for a little bit, then Rick said, “You don’t like her?”

“Ain’t got no opinion of her.”

They walked farther and saw the remains of a dead raccoon.  Getting closer to investigate, Rick said, “How long do you think it’s been dead?”  Daryl poked at it with his knife and said, “Maybe died last night.  We already know it weren’t no walker, whoever was on guard would have seen it.  And look at these marks here,” he said, pointing out a jagged claw mark.  “People don’t make marks like that.  Mighta been a bobcat.”   
“Should we worry?”

“Nah.  Wildcats are usually smart enough to not wanna be around people.”

Dayl went to take a step, and slipped on the puddle of raccoon guts.  He landed on his back, hard.  “Ah!  Dammit!”   
Rick helped him up, then said, “We need to get you back to the doc.”   
“What the hell for?  I’’m fine.”   
“You’re bleeding from the back of your shoulder bad.”   
Daryl looked down and saw a jagged rock on the ground with his fresh blood on it.

“Shit.”

 

Even though Daryl protested, Rick made him go see Angel in the clinic.  He was just about to walk in, when he heard her voice.     
“I’m so sorry sweetie.  I know the medicine burns.”   
He peeked through the glass.  There was a little girl sitting on the gurney with a scraped knee, and she was sniffling.   
“You’ve been a very brave little girl,” Angel told her.  “And very brave little girls get to decide what kind of band aid they get.  I’ve got Princess Barbie or I’ve got Batman.  Which one do you want?”

Without hesitation, the little girl cried out, “Batman!”  Daryl chuckled, and Angel said, “Batman it is!”   
She applied the band aid to the little girls knee, reminding her, “Now be sure and tell your mommy that you hurt your knee but that I took care of it, okay?  We don’t want her to worry.”   
“Thank you, Doctor Angel.”   
_ ‘Doctor Angel,’   _ Daryl thought.   _ ‘That just sounds right.’ _

Giving the little girl a hug, she told her, “Goodbye, Isabella.  Be careful with those jump ropes!”

Daryl watched her for a moment as she cleaned up after the little girl, throwing away a used cotton ball and the band aid wrapper, and putting away the rubbing alcohol.  He really loved the way she moved...hell he loved everything about her.  Finally he pushed open the doors and she turned. 

Angel smiled when she saw it was Daryl, she had just been thinking about him.  “Hey Daryl, what...oh my god, why are you bleeding?”  She wasn’t smiling anymore.

“It’s ok, I just slipped and scratched myself on a rock.  Rick insisted I see you,” he sat down on the gurney and took off his vest.   
Angel moved behind him and pulled the back of the arm hole away from his back and peeked in.  This wasn’t a little scratch, he would need stitches.     
She moved to her cabinets to get the supplies, telling him over her shoulder, “It’s gonna need stitches.  Take off your shirt and lay on your stomach.”  Angel finished gathering her supplies on a tray and turned around.  Daryl was sitting on the gurney with his head down.   
“Daryl, take off your shirt and lay on your stomach.  I need to stitch that cut.”   
Very softly and quietly, he simply said, “No.”

Angel got irritated.  “Daryl, this is no time to play games.  I need to get that cleaned and stitched.”   
Slightly louder this time, still not looking at her, he said, “No.”   
“Daryl, what’s the problem?  It won’t hurt, I’ve got a shot I’m gonna give you to numb it-”   
“That ain’t it!” he yelled, still looking at the floor.   
Angel put the tray on the rolling table and walked over to him.  “Hey,” she said gently, “hey, come on now.  We’re friends, remember?  You’ve even seen me in my drawers!”  He was still looking down, but she saw a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.     
She moved closer, standing between his legs.  Putting her hands on the sides of his face, she lifted his head so he was looking at her, and said, “What is it you don’t want me to see?  Whatever it is, I’ve seen worse.  And I know damn well you saw my back.”   
Daryl still had no idea what had happened to her that she ended up with knife scars on her back, but he wanted to destroy whoever did it.   
“Daryl, please.  You’ve gotta trust me, I need to clean and stitch it.  I’ll draw the curtain around the bed.  If we hear anybody come in, I’ll make them leave, I promise.  Ok?”   
Damn her and her brown eyes.  Damn her and her pink lips.  Damn her and how good she smelled.  Damn him….yep another hard on was starting.  He was glad he had his vest in his lap.  She let go of his face and her hands were resting on his knees now.  Fuuuuuuuuck….

“Yeah, ok.  If ya close the curtain and make sure no one sees…”   
He was sad when she took her hands off his knees as she turned to draw the hospital curtain around the bed.  Unbuttoning his shirt, he started to pull it off, but made a grunt of pain.  Angel came over, telling him, “Here, let me help.”  Slowly, carefully, she slid the shirt off of his shoulders, both of them wishing once again that the circumstances were different.  Daryl took a deep breath, and laid face down on the gurney.   
He felt Angel’s gentle hands on him.  “Ok, I’m going to give you the shot first, so there’s a little stick….”  He didn’t even feel it.  She started gently cleaning the wound while they waited for the numbness to take effect.  Then he heard her say, “I don’t know what you were worried about me seeing.  Your tattoo isn’t that crappy.”   
He snorted.  “That ain’t what I was hidin’ and you know it..”   
“Yeah, I know.  Was….was it your stepdad?”   
He looked at her over his shoulder, but her face was unreadable as she threaded the suture.  He didn’t answer, and she said softly, “Mine was from my stepdad.”

“The knife cuts were from your stepdad?”   
“Yeah.  I developed kind of late.  I seriously didn’t get tits until I was 17, and then it seemed like the boob fairy was making nightly trips or something.  I thought they’d never stop growing!”   
Daryl chuckled at that and she continued.   
“My stepdad….well he was a pervert.  I was just trying to graduate and get away from him and my mom.  Trying to lay low and not be noticed.  But believe me, with tits like that, he noticed all right.  The month before it happened, he was….let’s just say he was saying inappropriate things to me whenever my mom wasn’t around.  Shit like asking me how big they were, asking if they sagged, shit a grown man shouldn’t say to a 17 year old girl.  Two nights before this happened, he tried to climb in my bed with me….”   
Daryl was furious with this guy, who was likely dead.  Anger in his voice, he asked, “Did he….did he…”  He couldn’t even finish.   
“No, he didn’t.  I kicked him out of the bed and my room, screaming at him the entire time.  My mom….she was passed out, as usual.  He just laughed at me.  I told him if he tried again, I’d kill him.  Well, two nights later, he tried again.  I fought him again, I didn’t know he had a knife.  He just started slashing at my back.  I started screaming.  I guess my mom wasn’t as passed out as he thought because she came running.  He told her that I attacked him with the knife, that he got it away from me and was just defending himself.  I pointed out that he was in MY room in his underwear and that the cuts were defensive….they were on my back.  But my mom sided with him.”   
Daryl couldn’t believe what he was hearing.  Angel tied off the stitches and started taping gauze over it.   
“Well, the neighbors heard me screaming and called the cops….for once.  They showed up and I got taken to Atlanta General to get stitched up.  That’s why I went to work there...they helped me and were really nice.  So my stepdad gets a trip to jail….” she paused and had Daryl sit up and she withdrew the curtain as he started to pull his shirt on.  He asked, “He go to prison?”   
“Nope.  My mom lied and told the judge that she saw the whole thing and that I was crazy.  Add to the fact that in his day my stepdad had been a local football hero, well, this judge wasn’t gonna lock up one of their finest sons.  I got put in foster care for the rest of the year.  That was the last time I saw them.  They’re dead now, I was notified when I was in the military, and didn’t care.”  Angel reached over absent mindedly and started buttoning his shirt, saying, “Now you know all about my sordid past.”   
Daryl grabbed her hands, and they stood looking at each other.  He said, “He was wrong to try anything.  Or say anything.  Hell, he was wrong to look at you.”   
“I know.”   
“You was just a kid.”   
“I know.”   
He was still holding her hands.  He didn’t want to let go, and neither did she.  She was standing between his legs again.   Damn, she was so close….   
Suddenly they heard the door open.

They both jumped apart to see Rick walking in with a smile on his face.   
“Oh, Officer Grimes,” Angel said busying herself with cleaning up, “what can I do for you?”   
Rick rubbed the back of his neck, and told her, “I was just making sure Daryl came to see you.  Looks like you’re...taking care of him pretty well.”   
Both Angel and Daryl turned bright red.  “I gotta go,” Daryl blurted out before practically sprinting for the door.  Rick turned to Angel, “I didn’t mean to interrupt anything, sorry ‘bout that.”   
“You didn’t interrupt anything.  No apology necessary.”  She still wouldn’t look at him.  Rick just shook his head and went after Daryl.  These two couldn’t see how much they wanted each other, but everyone else could.  That little exchange proved it.     
  
Daryl was on his way back to the house to change into a clean shirt when Rick caught up with him.  He had been so ready to kiss her, but not with an audience.  Rick honestly felt bad for interrupting.     
“Hey Daryl, wait up!  Where ya going?”

“Just back to the house to change.  I don’t wear a blood stained shirt unless I gotta no more.”   
“Yeah, I hear ya.  So….” Rick was unsure of the best way to approach the subject.  Since there was no one around, he jumped right in, “You and the Doc, huh?”   
Daryl’s head whipped around.  “What?  Nah!  There ain’t nothin’ goin’ on between us!”

“Yeah, that’s obvious.  It’s also obvious that there should be.”   
“What the hell ya talkin’ about?”   
Daryl was getting irritated, so Rick treaded lightly.  “Look, she seems to be really attracted to you.  And to be honest, I’ve seen the way you look at her when you think nobody's lookin’,” he saw Daryl turning pink with embarrassment, so he continued with, “And there’s nothing wrong with that.  She’s a really pretty lady.  But that’s just it: she’s really pretty.  You and I ain’t the only ones to notice that.”  Daryl looked at him and asked, “What are ya tryin’ to say?”   
Rick ran his hand through hair.  “I’m tryin’ to tell you that if you like her, you better make a move soon.  If you don’t someone else will.”   
Daryl sat on his bed and looked at the floor.  “She’s a doctor.  She’s real smart.  She don’t want no backwoods redneck like me.  She deserves better.”   
Rick sighed.  It had always made him sad that Daryl thought so poorly of himself.  He said, “You need to realize you are so much better than you think you are.  Everybody thinks so except you.  Angel thinks so, too.”   
“How do you know?”

“The way that you look at her?  She looks at you the same way, brother.”   
Rick left the room, leaving Daryl to think about what he’d said.  Had she been looking at him?  Did she like him?  Was it possible?

 

Meanwhile, in the clinic, Angel was beating herself up.   _ ‘Big idiot,’   _ she cursed herself silently,  _ ‘what were you thinking?  “Let me help you button up that shirt”….dumbass.’ _

The door swung open and Rick walked back in.  He decided he’d better talk to her as well.  Because the way those two danced around each other was driving EVERYONE crazy.  He’d never seen two more stubborn people.  It was like they were afraid to be happy.  Maybe they were.  But if those two didn’t even give it a shot, they were going to make themselves and everyone else crazy.

“ Hi Doc.  Didn’t mean to startle you last time.”   
Angel looked up at him and started to turn pink, “Oh, no  worries.  I was done patching up Daryl when you came in.”   
“Going to Tobin’s barbecue this weekend?”   
“Definitely!  Sounds like a fun time.”   
Rick watched her straighten up the clinic, never looking at him.

“Got a minute to sit and talk, Angel?”

She looked up at him.  “Um, sure.  What’s on your mind?”  They sat down at the table by the window.  Rick wasn’t sure what to say at first.  Part of him said he shouldn’t meddle.  But part of him said if he didn’t, they would dance around each other forever.   
“You seem to be adjusting here pretty well.”   
Angel smiled.  “Yeah, I like it here.  It’s nice to be back doing what I’m good at.  But I’m gonna have to take a day off soon and go hunting.  I can’t lose my edge, just in case.  There are bad people out there.  I need to be ready.  I’m not afraid of the dead ones, I can outrun them.  But the people that are still alive…..that’s another matter.”   
Rick mulled that over.  She was right.  They really needed to get on Deanna about mandatory self defense.

“So….you and Daryl, huh?”   
“What?  No!  I was just stitching him up.”   
Rick chuckled.  Almost the same response from both of them.  He told her, “I think maybe he likes you.”   
Angel hesitated, then replied, “Well it’s good for people to like their doctor.”   
“Oh come on, now.  You know what I mean.”

Angel got very interested in the table top.  She finally quietly told Rick, “I think he’s interested in someone else…”   
“Who?”

“Emma, that new girl.”   
“The one who puts on her makeup with a trowel?”   
That made Angel laugh.  “She *is* a bit heavy handed with it, isn’t she?”   
“A bit?  She makes Tammy Bakker look like a fresh faced kid!  Her priorities ain’t where they need to be.  And Daryl thinks she’s as vile as I do.  Do you know she hasn’t done a lick of work since she got here?”   
“What?  Are you serious?”

“Yep.  She doesn’t have a whole lot of skills, so Deanna put her to work in the fields.  She lasted maybe an hour, then just went home.  Told Deanna it was ‘too hot’ to work out there.  She’s outright refused to work.  I mean Harlan is working in construction with Abraham, and even Jasmine is trying to help where she can, although Deanna won’t let her do much being pregnant.  But Emma just wants to lounge around all day.”   
“Everyone wants to lounge around.  But then nothing would get done.  I even told Deanna I’d be willing to go on runs and go on watch up in the tower.”

“Well Emma just wants to sit around like a little princess.  You know damn well Daryl ain’t into ladies who aren’t capable.”   
That was true.  He didn’t seem to want to do everything for some prissy girl who thought she was too good to work.  ”Yeah, Jasmine told me that Emma came on to Harlan on the road a few times.  They had to threaten to leave her behind to get her to stop.”   
“She’s gonna do her best to get her claws into Daryl.”   
“Well, there’s not much I can do about that, Rick.  If he’s not interested in her, he needs to let her know.  And if he’s interested in me, he needs to let me know.”   
“He told me that he kissed you the night before the run.”   
“He told you?  Well, he also was kind of mean to me the next day.”

Great.  They were at a stalemate, each one not willing to make a move until the other one did.  Angel told him, “Look, I appreciate you coming, but Daryl’s a big boy.  He needs to let Emma know if he wants her or not, and he needs to let me know the same thing.”   
Just then the door opened.  Another resident walked in with a fish hook sticking out of his hand.  Angel exclaimed, “Harold!  You’re supposed to hook your bait, not your hand!”  Rick took that as his cue to leave.  He didn’t know what he was going to do about those two.

 

The rest of the week passed quickly for Angel.  She would work mornings in the clinic, then in the afternoon take a shift watching in the tower.  Deanna wasn’t sure about it, but there wasn’t much to do in the clinic day by day.  Everybody knew how to find Angel if she was needed, and she would stay in the clinic to wait if people went out on a run.  Deanna wanted everyone who went on supply runs to at least check in with Angel when they got back.     
Daryl kept himself busy as well, doing night shifts in the tower and getting out of the gates and hunting whenever he could.  They didn’t see much of each other during the week, but they both thought about each other quite a bit.  Angel thought she would talk to Daryl after the barbecue.  They needed to clear the air about what was or wasn’t going on between them, one way or another.

 

The day of the barbecue came, and the party was wonderful.  Almost everyone was there in the backyard, side yard, and front yard of Tobin’s place.  Daryl had gone hunting and brought back some deer meat to cook.  It was almost like normal.  Abraham, Rosita, and Angel were talking about things they missed.   
Rosita said, “I miss things like massages and facials, you know, like spa days.”  Then Abraham added his two cents.  “I miss being able to go to the bar and have a cold beer.  I know we have liquor here, but it ain’t the same.  What do you miss, Angel?”   
“I miss my car.  I eventually had to abandon it.  It was a 1972 VW Beetle…..I called it Herbie.”   
Abraham laughed and said, “Herbie the Love Bug, that’s cute!  That car was older than you!”   
“Yep,” Angel said proudly.  “I bought it from the original owner, this old hippie, when I was in New Orleans.  He’d had it forever.  He was selling it to go to Brazil so he could live ‘off the grid’.  It had about 150,000 miles on it, but he sold it to me for $1,000.”  Abraham laughed and muttered, “Damn hippies!  Still, that’s pretty much a bargain.”   
“Not really.  I put a lot of money into it to keep it running.  But I loved it so much.”

 

The day got hotter.  Rick said, “Hey, there’s a plastic kiddie pool in the backyard of our place.  If someone wants to go grab it and bring it, we could fill it up for the little ones to splash in.”  Daryl said, “I’ll get it, I know where it is.”   
Abraham leaned over to Angel and said, “You should go ‘help’ him.  He’s been looking at you all day.  It’s obvious you guys like each other.  It’ll give you a few minutes to be alone.”   
  
Daryl had indeed been watching Angel all day.  He couldn’t help himself.  He had been talking to Rick who explained that if he didn’t get with Angel, someone else would.  Did he really want to see her with someone else?  He knew he had to talk to her.  Maybe tonight after the barbecue, when they could be alone.  He had no idea what he was going to say.  But he liked watching her chatting with Rosita and Abraham and laughing.

When Rick asked someone to get the kiddie pool, Daryl offered.  Anything for Judith.  So off he went three houses down to Rick’s place.  What he didn’t know was that somebody else was quietly following him.

 

Daryl got to Rick’s backyard to the kiddie pool.  There were some leaves and other debris in it, so he turned it over to empty it.  It didn’t weigh much, but it was clumsy.  He should have gotten someone to come with.  Maybe he could ask Angel if she’d come over and help.  He heard a female voice behind him say, “Need some help?”  He turned around to see Emma standing there, face full of makeup, striking a pose.  “No thanks, I got it,” he told her.  Emma walked up to him, saying, “Oh come on, don’t be like that.” Running her hand up his muscular arm, she continued, “We should be friends.  There’s no reason for us not to.”   
“Got enough friends, thanks,” he said, jerking his arm away.   
“Not friends like me.  Look at me, I take care of myself.  Not like the girls here.”   
Daryl looked at her.  In the world before, he would have taken her home and fucked her senseless without a second thought.  But now, he didn’t want anything to do with her.  She was lazy and arrogant, and probably never had to defend herself out there.  But the truth was, she just wasn’t Angel.  Nobody would ever be able to compare to her.   
“You take care of yourself?  Bullshit.  You expect everyone else to take care of you.  To do all the work while you sit around.”   
Emma was getting angry.  This wasn’t working.  She had just assumed if she got him alone, he would be all over her, but he wasn’t.   
Daryl leaned against the wall of the house thinking of the best way to get the kiddie pool over there.  That was when Emma more or less attacked him.

 

Emma saw him standing there looking so good.  She would prove to him how much he should be with her.  She walked over, pinned him against the wall with her body, and kissed him with her heavily lipsticked mouth.  He was so shocked, it took him a minute to respond.  Unfortunately, that minute was too long. They heard a footfall, he pushed Emma away, and standing there looking shocked, was Angel.

 

Angel had taken a moment to screw up all the courage she had and then walked over to Rick’s.  Walking around the side of the house she headed for the backyard….and was not prepared for what she saw.  Emma and Daryl in a lip lock.  Her heart fell to the floor.  She could handle Daryl not being attracted to her.  It would hurt, but she’d survive.  But him being attracted to someone like Emma….that was absolutely heartbreaking.

 

Angel blurted out, “I guess you don’t need my help…”  Emma smirked at her, and said, “Oh no, honey.  But tell them the pool will be a few minutes late.  We’re...‘busy’,” and put her arms around Daryl.

 

Angel turned around and left as quickly as she could.  She couldn’t stand to watch.  Had she stayed, she would have seen Daryl push Emma away so hard she almost fell.  “What the hell do you think you’re doin’, lady?” he asked her angrily as he wiped his mouth.   
“Oh come on, Daryl.  If you had to choose between me and her, you’d pick me.”   
“The hell I would, ya cheap whore!  I don’t go for trash.  Get lost.”  He spit on the ground and left Emma in the backyard with the kiddie pool and went after his Angel.

 

Angel wasn’t even thinking.  She went back to the barbecue, shellshocked, and headed straight for Abe and Rosita.  They noticed something was wrong immediately.  Angel told Abraham, “You were wrong.  He doesn’t like me.  He likes Emma.”  Abraham looked at her and said, “Why would you think that?”   
“Because I just saw them making out in Rick’s backyard,” and with that she left the yard to go home.   
Daryl came through the backyard at Tobin’s looking for Angel.  Rick, not knowing what was going on, asked him, “Hey, where’s the pool?”  Daryl ignored his question, asking him, “Ya seen Angel?”   
“No, but I’m sure she’s around here somewhere…”   
He walked through the party, and then Abraham and Rosita saw him.  They approached Daryl, and he could tell Big Red was pissed about something.  Damn it, couldn’t people leave him alone so he could find her?  Abraham stalked up to him, and said, “How could you do that to Tiny?”  Rosita added, “You’re a real jerk, you know that?”  Daryl said, “Look, Emma kissed me before I knew what was happenin’.  I pushed her away, it was nasty.  All I want is Angel.  I gotta find her, I gotta talk to her, but I don’t know where she went.  Ya seen her?”   
Abe and Rosita exchanged a look.  Rosita told him, “I think she went back to the house.” Before he could leave, Abraham told him, “You best fix this with Tiny.  We care about her.  If you don’t like her, that’s fine. But you need to fix this now.  Tonight.”   
Daryl told him as he walked away, “Consider it fixed.”

The house was quiet and empty when Angel got there. Good.  She wanted to be alone.  She went up to her room and sat on the bed, head in her hands.  Well, she would just have to get used to seeing Emma and Daryl together...maybe even in the house.  She should talk to Deanna about getting her own place.  It would be impossible to live there if that woman was going to be around.

Daryl went into the house and went upstairs.  She was sitting on the bed with her head in her hands.  He stood in the doorway and just said, “Hey.”   
“Please go away, Daryl.”  She didn’t sound angry, just tired and defeated.  He didn’t like that tone coming out of this girl.  It sounded like she was giving up.

“What ya saw, well….it ain’t what ya think.”   
“I think I saw you kissing Emma.  Please let me know if I got that wrong,” she said raising her head and looking at him.

“She kissed me.  It was by surprise.  I pushed her away, told her I didn’t want her.”   
“Daryl, just go away, please.”   
“God dammit girl, will ya listen to me?” he said angrily.

Angel stood up, just as angry.  “You aren’t going to say anything I want to hear!  You don’t want me, and that’s fine!  Go back to your trashy new girlfriend!”

Daryl was about to lose it.  He ran his hand through his hair.  “Will ya listen to me, dammit? I’m tryin’ to tell ya I don’t want her!  I never did!”  He was shouting now, and Angel shouted right back, “Oh yeah?  Why not?”

Daryl grabbed her by her upper arms and shouted at her, “Because I want YOU, ya crazy woman!”   
Angel didn’t have the time to process that because his lips were on hers.  She pulled away and slapped him for being such a bastard.  Then she pulled him toward her and started kissing him again.


	17. Chapter 17

Daryl was surprised when she slapped him.  And even more so when she started kissing him.  Angel pushed her tongue against his lips and he opened his mouth for it.  His world exploded.  She tasted like candy, even now.  His sweet, sweet Angel.  Finally.

He took her face in his hands are their tongues slid past each other.  For a moment, the only sound in the room was the sound of their ragged breathing.  Angel kept trying to pull him closer, even though he was pushed right up against her.  It just wasn’t enough.

Daryl pulled away and looked at her.  Her skin was flushed, her eyes were wild...she was absolutely beautiful.

“We gotta stop, Angel.”   
“Why?”   
“Cause if we don’t stop now….I’m not sure if I can stop later.”   
“Daryl, I don’t wanna stop.”   
He looked at her.  Was she saying what she thought he was saying?  She said softly, “I want you so bad.”

Daryl smiled.  Carol was spending the night at Tobin’s again.  They had the house to themselves.  No need to worry about being quiet…

He grabbed her shoulders and walked her backwards until she hit the wall.  Taking her hands in his, he pinned them against the wall and he leaned down to take her mouth again.  He rained kisses all over her face and neck and breathed in that scent of hers….he was addicted to her, plain and simple.  Again he pulled away from her and looked at that beautiful face of hers.  Pressing his forehead against hers and trying to catch his breath, he released her hands and admitted to her, “It’s been a long time since I been with anyone…”  Bringing her hands up to cup his face, she said, “Me too.  It was awhile even before the shit hit the fan.  I feel like a virgin again.”   
He ran his fingertips down her shoulder, across her collarbone, and down the center of her chest.  Angel took his hand and placed it on her breast, “It’s ok to touch me.  I want you to.”

 

Daryl very gently stroked her breast through her tank top and bra, and watched as, even through 2 layers of material, her nipple hardened.  Her eyes closed and she let out a small sigh.  Daryl did the same to the other nipple, watching in fascination as the nipples pushed against all that fabric.  He’d waited so long to touch Angel like this.  Bringing his hands to the hem of her shirt, he asked, “Can I - “

Before he could finish, Angel pulled off her shirt and threw it aside, smiling at him.  He stroked her nipples gently again, making them rock hard.  Leaning down, he pulled down one side of her bra and ran his tongue over the hard little nub, making Angel cry out and arch her back.  Daryl pulled away at first, afraid he’d hurt her in some way.  But the look on her face told him that he was on track.  She grabbed him and pulled him back to the puckered nipple.  Daryl ran his hot tongue over it again and again, and she could feel her panties getting wet under her jeans.  Just when she thought she couldn’t take it anymore, he stopped and came up to slip his tongue into her mouth again.  Then he lowered himself to the other nipple and began licking it.     
Angel ran her hands through his thick hair, and whispered, “Oh Daryl, that feels so good…”   
Daryl smiled to himself.  He may not have been one for much foreplay with some of the women he’d slept with, but that didn’t mean he never had.  He’d learned how to please a woman, and he was going to make sure Angel felt good.  He was going to make tonight count in case she decided she didn’t want him again.

He let her hard nipple slide out of his mouth, earning him a frustrated groan from Angel.  Taking her hand, he led her back to the bed, and told her, “Sit.”  Getting down on his knees in front of her, her gently unlaced her boots and took them off, then pulled off her socks and ran his hands across the soles of her little feet and up her legs.  Standing up, he told her, “Up for a minute.”  Angel stood, and her eyes locked with his.  He slowly unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans, and slid them down her legs without breaking eye contact.  She pushed his leather vest off of his shoulders, then slowly unbuttoned his shirt.  She broke eye contact so she could finally look at his body.  She ran her fingers across the tattoo on his chest that said “Norman”.  Without her asking, he said, “It was my grandpa.”   
She smiled and said, “He must have been special for you to tattoo his name over your heart.”  Angel ran her hands over his nipples, and heard his sharp gasp.  She slowly slid her hands down his tight stomach, lingering there for a moment, then resting on his belt.  Looking up at him, she told him, “Last chance to back out.”  He pressed his hard length up against her hip, and told her, “No chance.  I been goin’ to sleep with a hard on nearly every night since I met ya.  I’m still not sure I ain’t dreamin’.”   
“It’s not a dream,  I’m here, and you’re here, and we both want this.”  She ran her hands up his muscular arms, which twitched and flexed under her hands.  Angel could tell Daryl was nervous, as nervous as she was if not more.  She put one hand around his neck and pulled him down for another kiss.  She giggled and said, “You taste like whiskey…”   
“Yeah I had some at the party.  If it bothers you, I can - “   
“Shush.  I like it.”

He took a step back to pull off his boots and looked at her.  Standing in front of him in bright red panties and a matching bra, with the beautiful soft skin of hers, he was slightly in awe of her.  How did he get so lucky?  She was here with HIM.  She was smiling at HIM.  She wanted HIM.

He watched her reach over and put her hands on the waistband of his pants again.  Turning her brown eyes to him, she asked, “Is this ok?”   
“Yeah, go ahead.”   
Angel undid his belt, then popped the button and unzipped his cargo pants.  She knelt down as she slid them down his legs.  He stood in his boxer briefs looking down at her, his erection obvious.  Daryl reached down and pulled her to her feet, kissing her again.  He loved the way her tiny body fit against him, he felt so protective of her.  He knew she was capable, but he still wanted to protect her.   
He reached behind her, unhooked her bra and slid it off her arms, seeing them completely bare for the first time.   _ ‘If my dick could get any harder right now, it would’   _ Daryl thought.  He didn’t realize he was just staring until Angel’s smile faltered and her hands came up to cover herself.  “No, don’t ya dare,” he told her as he pulled her hands away.   
“But you’re just staring...like something’s wrong with them.”   
“Angel, there ain’t nothin’ wrong with any part of ya.”

Daryl reached out slowly, cupping her breasts in his hands, and gently brushing his thumbs over the hard, pink nipples.  She let out a small gasp, and he did it again, noticing her breathing was getting faster.  He reached one hand down to cup between her legs, and her panties were soaked.  “Damn, girl, already wet for me….”   
He gently pushed her back on the bed.  Running his hands everywhere, he said, “Ya got the softest skin….”  Angel smiled up at him and said, “You can touch it anytime you want.”   
Daryl put his hand between her legs again, and gently rubbed her slit over her panties.  Her hips bucked, and he decided he had to see her, ALL of her.  He hooked his fingers into her little red panties and slid them off, revealing a perfect landing strip.  Quirking an eyebrow at her, he asked, “Ya shave that way often?”  Angel giggled, “No.  Years ago I invested in laser hair removal: underarms, legs, and bikini area.  I did it to save time since I worked such long hours.  So now I’m more or less hair free...”   
This thrilled him.  He knew that since the end of the world, most of the ladies in the group had stopped shaving long ago, and actually, it didn’t bother him.  But the fact that she would always be smooth like this turned him on.   
As he started to slide down her body, he noticed she was shaking.  He froze and looked up at her.  “Ya ok?  Ya shaking.  We don’t hafta do this.”   
Smiling down at him, she said, “I’m just nervous. Like I said, it’s been awhile.  I WANT this.  I want YOU.”

Looking up at her, he moved to one of her breasts, and let his tongue just barely graze the nipple.  Angel’s back arched up and she cried out, “Oh god!”  Daryl never broke eye contact with her as he flicked his tongue over it again and again, snakelike, before finally taking it into his warm mouth, all the while pinching and rolling her other nipple with his fingers.  With his knee firmly between her legs, he could feel her wetness growing.  He switched nipples, again letting the tip of his tongue just barely touch it.  The was met by her cry of, “Oh god Daryl, please!”   
“Please what, baby?”   
“I….I need…” he could hear the frustration in her voice.   
“Can I go down on ya, baby?”   
“Oh god, yes!”

He suckled on her nipple for a moment, then let it slowly slide out of his mouth, kissing a trail down her body.  He gently pushed her legs apart.  Taking a good look, he said, “Girl, ya got a beautiful pussy.”  Daryl meant it, he’d seen some ugly pussies in his time as well as some pretty ones, but this one took the cake.  All nice and pink, and shining from the wetness.   
He kissed down one thigh and up the other, not sure who he was torturing more: himself or Angel.  He couldn’t wait anymore.  He gently licked a line up the center of her slit.  Angel let out a long groan, and he growled in his throat.  He had been right all those nights ago when he has masturbated thinking about her: she tasted like vanilla….his favorite.  He was never going to get enough of this girl.

Sliding his hands all the way up her thighs, he used his thumbs to gently open her up, and slid his tongue inside her.  Angel fisted the bed sheets, and told him, “More, do that again…”    
Daryl pushed his tongue inside her and lapped at her inner walls.  Her legs began to shake and he knew she wouldn’t take long.  Hell, neither would he, which is why he wanted to get her off first.  Looking up, he noticed her watching him, her eyes gone dark, needing the release she knew he would give her.  She watched as he licked two fingers and then slid them inside her.  “So damn tight,” he muttered.  Sliding his fingers in and out a few times, he felt the little spongy button of her g spot, and grazed it.  “Oh shit!” she cried out.  “If you’re gonna do that, you’d better have a good grip on me.  I’ve been known to knock people right out of the bed.”   
Daryl wrapped one powerful arm around her thigh,  and used that same hand to gently pull back the hood on her clit.  With the fingers of his other hand pressed firmly against her g spot, eyes still watching her, he lowered his mouth onto her clit.  Angel let out a quiet, breathy, “Oh’, then Daryl flicked his tongue rapid fire again and again over her clit, making her scream out, “Oh YES!”

It took mere seconds for his sweet little Angel to turn into a foul-mouthed banshee.  He wasn’t sure he’d ever heard the word “fuck” repeated so many times in a row.   
“Ohfuckohfuckohfuck, oh yes, yes, yes, harder, more…..OH FUCK I’M CUMMING!”

And with that, her whole body began to convulse, and Daryl was glad she had warned him to hold on.  He kept sucking at her clit, and she continued to convulse.  “OH DARYL! OH MY GOD!  OH YES! YESYESYES!!!”  She was practically gushing between her legs, and he finally slowed his assault on her clit to lap it up.  How could she be so delicious?  The convulsions turned to trembling as he finished licking her clean then licked his fingers.  Giving one last, gentle suck on her clit, she pushed him away from it gently.  He made his way up to her, kissing a trail straight up the middle and asked, “Too sensitive?”   
Eyes closed, Angel could only nod in reply.  He held himself up off of her, and gave slow, gentle kisses to her face and neck, letting her calm down.  Her body would give off random shudders and jolts, and he asked, “Ya ok, baby?”   
Opening her eyes and smiling, Angel replied, “Yeah, just aftershocks.”

Daryl gave her a long, slow kiss, and when he pulled away, she said, “I can taste myself in your mouth.”   
“I wanna taste ya every day,” he said.  Angel told him, “Well, that could be arranged. Believe me, I would not turn down a repeat performance.”

He was pressing his hard on against her hip, and whispered to her, “I wanna be inside ya.”  Angel reached down and helped him take off his boxer briefs.  One look at his hard cock, and she blurted out, wide-eyed, “I don’t think it’s gonna fit!”  It wasn’t a cock, it was a fucking railroad tie.

They both started laughing after she said that, but it was true.  Daryl knew he wasn’t exactly lacking in the dick department.  No girl had ever complained, that was for sure.  Looking at Angel and how tiny she was, he got worried.  He knew it would fit, women’s vaginas were made to stretch enough to accommodate a baby’s head for fuck’s sake.  But he was afraid he’d hurt her, and he couldn’t live with that.  He took a breath and managed to say, “We don’t hafta.  We really don’t.  Maybe it’s a bad idea.”  He turned to Angel, and the look on her face nearly broke his heart.

She was confused and hurt.  Had she done something wrong?  Did he think she had tasted yucky when he went down on her?  Every doubt she’d ever had was swimming around her head.  She lowered her eyes and said quietly, “If you don’t want me, it’s ok.”   
“No!  No,” he took her face in his hands.  “I wanna, I mean I REALLY wanna, but I don’t wanna hurt ya.”

“We can just take it slow.  Ok?”

Daryl wasn’t going to argue.   
He positioned himself between her open legs, his face close to hers.  He rubbed the head of his cock against her opening and noticed she was already wet.  “Ya wet again already, girl?”   
“Only for you….”   
Daryl eased just the head in and rested his forehead against hers.   “God, Angel.  Ya so damn tight.  Feels incredible.”  Slowly, he eased in, inch by inch, feeling Angel’s tightness stretching to accommodate him.

Angel beneath him, was panting and letting out small moans of pleasure every time he slid another inch inside her.  “Fuck, Daryl!  It feels so good….”   
Finally he bottomed out inside her.  Pushing some strands of hair out of her face, he checked in with her.  “Ya ok, baby?”   
Angel wrapped her arms around him, feeling him tense slightly when she brushed her fingers over his scars.  She was stretched farther than she ever had been before.  “Give me just a sec,” she told him.  Taking a few deep breaths, her body relaxed, and she nodded at him.  Daryl started moving inside her slowly.  God, she felt so incredible.  He buried his face in her neck and let out a growl.  She giggled, and his head snapped up.  She told him, “You growled.  Made me think I was in bed with the Big Bad Wolf.”

Daryl pushed into her roughly, and she gasped.     
“Go ahead,” he breathed in her ear, “say it.”  He put one of her legs up on his shoulders, getting deeper into her, and pushing against her g spot again.   
The sweat was running off his body onto Angel’s and she felt like she was in overdrive.  Between pants, she said, “My, my, what a big cock you have!”

Eyes locked, Daryl gave a wicked smile and said, “All the better to FUCK ya with, little girl!”

Angel was lifting her hips to meet him, and he felt her beginning to flutter around him. He lowered her leg from his shoulder and grabbed her tight around her waist.  As she began to buck and moan, holding her tightly, he sat up on his heels, taking her with him, and letting gravity sink her down onto him even more.  

“Oh god, oh fuck ohhhhh……….OH DARYL!  OH GOD!!! Ohhhhh fuck yes…..so good….”  She was thrashing and moaning and he held her tightly, barely holding back his own release so he could fully enjoy hers.  Her nails dug into his shoulders, and she felt like her orgasm would never end.  She could feel herself soaking him - there would definitely be a wet spot.  Her twitching died down, and Daryl lowered her back to the bed gently.  Smiling at her, he said, “My turn.”   
Daryl slammed into her, burying his head into her neck again, and she whispered into his ear, “Cum inside me, cum HARD.”  He did two more thrusts into her, and then he was arched up above her, body glistening with sweat, head thrown back, muscles tense.  Angel didn’t think she’d ever seen anything so beautiful.   
“Oh Angel….AH I’M CUMMING! I’M CUMMING IN YA, GOD YA FEEL SO GOOD!!! OH FUCK ANGEL!!!  AH, AH!  Ohhh, fuuuuuuck…..”   
Daryl collapsed on her, completely spent.  Angel wrapped her arms around him tightly.  He slowly slid his softening cock out of her, and she gave a small hiss of pain.  He popped up on his elbows, full of concern.  “Oh my god, ya ok?  Oh fuck, did I hurt ya?  Oh baby, I’m so sorry…”   
“Daryl, stop.  It’s ok.   _ I’m  _ ok.  You’re just hung like a fucking horse and it’s been awhile.”

“Ya sure?”   
“Daryl, if it was too much, I would let you know.  I’m ok.  Was….was I….you know…. ‘good’?”   
Daryl leaned down and kissed her gently.  “Baby, ya were amazing.”

“You know you can always come inside me.  I, uh….I can’t get pregnant.” she went quiet, unsure of how he’d take that.  So many had left.   
“I know.  I heard you talking to Rick.  I didn’t mean ta.”   
“It’s ok.”

Daryl rolled off of her onto his back and pulled her close.  He kissed the top of her head and  told her, “Little one, ya wore me out.  I need some sleep.”   
The sun was just starting to set outside.  Angel told him, “No way!  You don’t get to sleep!  You’ll be an asshole to me in the morning, like you were after you kissed me!”

He laughed, “No I won’t.  I’m a changed man.”

  
Angel curled into him, and Daryl thought to himself,  _ ‘Mine.  MY Angel.”   _  They were soon fast asleep.


	18. Chapter 18

Angel woke up with the sun, as always.  She felt truly well rested for the first time in a long time, and suddenly realized why: no nightmares.  Every night since Afghanistan had been full of nightmares, it was a welcome change.

Laying on her stomach, she turned her head.  Daryl was next to her, laying on his back, with his hand on her bare ass.  He looked so sweet asleep, so much younger.  She looked down.  Yep, morning wood was a thing.   _  ‘It would be a shame to let such a nice hard on go to waste,’   _ she thought wickedly.  Moving slowly and carefully, she pushed back the covers and slid down between his legs...   
  
Daryl had been dreaming about all the naughty stuff they had done last night….and then some.  His beautiful Angel….HIS Angel.  How did he get so lucky?  She was smart, tough, and still caring and gentle.  Not to mention a body that wouldn’t quit.   
  
Slowly, carefully, Angel took his cock in her hand.  It was enough of a challenge to fit it in her pussy, but the few guys she’d been with had praised her blow job skills - she was blessed with no gag reflex.  As soon as she had wrapped her hand around it, a bead of precome appeared on the head.  She leaned forward and gently licked it off.  Dayl gave off a small moan, but didn’t wake.  Angel licked her lips and slowly lowered her mouth down Daryl’s hard length.  A bit of a louder moan, but still he slept.  She wondered how long she could suck him off before he woke up.  She decided to find out.   
  
Pulling her mouth off, she swirled her tongue just around the head, and then swallowed him again.  Daryl’s breath hitched in his sleep.  Angel was really enjoying this.  Slowly she started bobbing her head up and down.  

 

Daryl was having a nice racy dream.  Dreaming of Angel.  More specifically, those pink lips of hers wrapped around his cock.  He had wanted to make sure she felt good last night, so he hadn’t worried about himself.  But as he drifted off, he had wondered how they would feel, they were so nice and soft to kiss….   
And here he was dreaming about it.  He hadn’t had a wet dream since he was a kid, but he was pretty sure he was getting ready to.  Suddenly, he heard someone moan.  It was himself.   _ ‘Wait a minute’   _ he thought.   _ ‘Am I actually awake?  Because someone’s suckin’ my dick, and it damn well better be her...’ _

He opened his eyes, looking down, and was greeted by the sight of his Angel deep throating his cock.  Between the way it looked with her beautiful big dark eyes on him, and the way it felt sliding in between those soft lips and down her hot velvet covered throat, he gave a moan so loud he was sure the neighbors heard it.  Angel never stopped what she was doing.  He reached down to pull some of her wild hair out of the way, and told her, “I ain’t gonna last long, babygirl…”  Still looking at him, she never stopped or slowed, just shrugged her shoulders.

He was mesmerized by her.  Face of an angel all right, but acting like a porn star, with those big, innocent eyes locked on his.  It was too much, he was about to cum.  As he was holding her hair, he tried to pull her off.   
“Angel, baby, stop!  I’m gonna cum!”

Without ever releasing his cock from her hot mouth, she batted his hands away, with a very vocal, “Mm mmm!” and a small shake of her head.

Daryl couldn’t stop it and couldn’t look away.  As he started to cum, Angel pulled back until just the head was in her mouth, and opened wide.  He watched in disbelief as he spurted into her mouth again and again, and she didn’t gag or pull away...she not only wanted to swallow, she wanted him to watch her doing it.

He couldn’t believe it, he wondered if he was still dreaming after all.   He cried out, “Oh FUCK!  OH ANGEL!!! ANGELLLLL!!!!  Oh fuck, oh my god!  Oh my god, so beautiful…..”  His head dropped back on the bed as Angel made sure she licked every bit of cum off of him.  She crawled up his body, and put her chin on his chest.  Once Daryl was finally able, he opened his eyes and looked at her.  She had a big wicked smile on her face.   
“Did ya say ya was single at the end of the world?”   
“I don’t know if I said, but yeah, I was.”   
“WHY?”

Angel giggled.  “Because I worked 18 hour days every weekend.  Guys only wanted to be with me on the weekends.  I couldn’t do that.  The hospital needed me.  I was an inconvenience.”   
“Babygirl, ya can inconvenience me anytime ya want.”   
She laughed at that, then he told her, “Come up here and kiss me, pretty girl.”   
Angel hesitated.  She’d just had a mouthful of cum and he wanted to kiss her?   
Daryl saw her pause, and asked her, “What?”   
“Most of the guys I ever did that to wouldn’t let me kiss them after.”   
“Are ya serious?  What the hell?  It came outta my body, I ain’t afraid of it.  It ain’t battery acid, it’s cum.  If I were that afraid of it, I wouldn’ta let ya swallow it in the first place.”   
He pulled her up and kissed her.  Yep, she tasted like sex and candy all right!  He thought,   _ ‘I could get used ta this….’ _

 

Unfortunately, they had to get up.  The world was not going to stop turning just so they could find new ways to violate each other.

Angel got up and walked out to the bathroom, and Daryl appreciated the view.  Damn that girl had a phenomenal ass.  It could make a grown man cry.

He heard the shower start, and remembered how he masturbated to that not so long ago.   _ ‘Why the fuck am I still in bed?’   _  he thought, and got up and walked to the bathroom.

Quietly, he opened the bathroom door and walked in. He watched her standing under the water with her head back and eyes closed.  Slowly, she opened her eyes and saw him watching her. She smiled and told him, “I was beginning to think you weren’t going to show up.”

“Is that an invitation?”

“Not if you’d rather stand and stare.”   
“Well,” he pretended to think it over, “it really is a pretty sight….”

“Well then you stand there and watch.  I’ll stay here and play.”  She ran her soapy hands up and over her breasts.   
Nope, standing there watching was not gonna cut it.

Daryl got in the shower and picked up that vanilla shower gel she liked.  “Allow me.  Turn around.”

Angel turned her back and handed him the washcloth.  He soaped it up and ran it slowly over her shoulders and back, then kneeled behind that ass.  Using his bare hands, he ran the soap against each cheek, and told her, “Ya got the best ass I ever seen, girl.  The things I wanna do to it….”   
“Is that so?”   
“Damn right.”

“Maybe we should see about taking a day off?  Neither of us has really had one…”   
Daryl stood up and pressed against her backside.  “Yeah….and we got some time right now,” he whispered.   
He gently bent her over, and she grabbed the faucet for balance.  Lining himself with her entrance, he slowly pushed himself in, a little bit at a time.     
Angel breathed out over her shoulder, “Baby, I’m sorry you have to go so slow with me.”   
“Angel, don’t ya never apologize for that again, ya hear?  Ya damn perfect.”  He slid his hands down her back and back up, resting on her hips.

When he was finally seated in her, he was still, enjoying how good she felt.  She  slowly rocked back against him, and they set a slow pace, Daryl enjoying the view.  

Soon the shower was filled with the sound of the water falling, the sound of their wet bodies slapping, and their moans: Angel’s quiet and breathy, Daryl’s rough and guttural.

She finally gave one command over her shoulder.   
“Faster.”

She braced her hands on the tile wall as Daryl pounded into her.  Her orgasm ripped through her causing her body to shake and her legs to give out.  Her wet hair flew onto her back as she threw  her head back, calling his name.  Daryl held onto her so she didn’t fall, and followed her over the ledge, calling her name like a curse and a blessing.     
He slipped out of her and she straightened and turned.  They just stood there looking at each other for a moment before Daryl pulled her to him and held her in his arms.       
  


There was no place either of them would rather be.

 

They stayed that way, arms wrapped around each other silently, until the water ran cold.


	19. Chapter 19

  
They walked out on the porch together.  It was a still, quiet morning, people were just waking up.  Daryl put his arm around her and pulled her close, kissing the top of her still damp head.  Angel wrapped her arms around his waist, and they stood there as they had in the shower.  That look they had given each other…..it excited and frightened them both.  And they knew now wasn’t the time to talk about it.   
Angel spoke first.  “Daryl, you gotta let me go.  I need to get to the clinic.”   
“Nope.”   
“We can’t stand here like this all day.”   
“Who’s gonna stop us?”   
“Ha ha.”   
Daryl knew she was right and released her, leaning down and kissing those sweet, soft lips of hers.  Then again and again, until she started to giggle.   
“Daryl!” she giggled, “cut that out!”   
“Nuh uh.”   
“Better be careful.  Someone might see.  It would tarnish your tough guy image.”   
Daryl just rolled his eyes.   
But someone was watching them.

 

Just up the street, Emma was leaving Brian’s place after a night of mediocre sex, preparing to do the walk of shame back to her little apartment.  She saw them come out on their porch  together, and ducked back behind the door.  She almost threw up when Daryl acted all cutesy and kissy with her.   _ ‘That should be me!’   _ she thought angrily.  If only that stupid doctor weren’t around.  Then Daryl would be all hers.  For fuck’s sake the way they were acting you’d think….oh HELL no.  They couldn’t have fucked last night, could they?  They both had damp hair….did they fucking SHOWER together?  With the smiles they were both wearing and the way they were looking at each other...god dammit.  She would have to figure out something.  Show Daryl that SHE was the hottest girl in that damn town.  He belonged with her, not that stupid doctor.

 

Suddenly, both Daryl and Angel stiffened, and started looking around.  “You feel it too?” she asked him.     
“Yeah.  Someone’s watchin’ us.”   
Then, just as quickly, the feeling was gone.  He put his arms around her and pulled her close again.  “Maybe someone was just lookin’ out their window and saw us…”  he mused, but he still felt uneasy.  

Unfortunately, they had to part ways.  Daryl was going hunting with Aaron, and Angel had her a.m. shift playing doctor, then an afternoon shift in the tower.

 

At the clinic, Angel asked Rosita if she’d like to learn more medical things.  “That way,” she told her, “if anything should happen to me, the town would still have a doctor.”  She was still a little rattled from the feeling of being watched that morning, and Rosita picked up on it.  “Angel, you ok?  You seem a little….off.”   
So she told Rosita  about being on the porch this morning, and how both she and Daryl had felt they were being watched.

“I mean, I don’t think anyone would really try anything, and Daryl even said maybe it was someone just looking out their window, but still.  The hair on the back of my neck stood up and everything.  So if you’re willing, I’d like to teach you some more medical stuff.  Some stuff will have to be hands on, like if there is a need for surgery, but are you willing?”

Rosita was more than happy to oblige, so they spent the morning going over what she already knew, and what she wanted to learn first.

After an uneventful afternoon in the tower, Angel headed home.  On her way back to the house, she saw Carol.  She was leaving their house with a backpack….and a big smile on her face.   
“Spending the night with Tobin again?” Angel asked.

“Yes.  Hope you and Daryl don’t mind.”   
“We don’t mind.”  Angel gave a big smile.  Carol looked at her and said, “Well that smile...looks a lot like mine….”   
“It does, doesn’t it?”

“I take it the two of you are…..’getting along’?”   
“We are ‘getting along’ famously.”

 

When she got in the house, she heard the shower going.  Going in bathroom, she saw him standing under the spray washing off the blood from whatever he caught and the dirt from the forest.  She stripped down and climbed in behind him, wrapping her arms around him.   
“Hey there, handsome.”   
“Uh oh, ya better leave before my girlfriend shows up.” he turned around and smiled at her.

“You got a girlfriend, huh?”   
“Yep.  She’s real hot and real smart.  A doctor.”   
“Wow, she sounds amazing.”   
“She is.”   
“Oh yeah?  So I’m your girlfriend, huh?  I don’t remember you asking.”   
Daryl frowned.  “If ya don’t wanna…”   
“I didn’t say that.  I said you didn’t ask.”   
He rolled his eyes.  “Would ya be my girl?”   
“Of course I will.”

He turned back around and she started washing his back.  She could feel him tense slightly.   
“Daryl?”

“Hmm?”   
“You...you never told me what happened.  To your back, I mean.  Some of these look like old belt marks, I used to see stuff like this sometimes at the hospital…”   
Daryl faced her, and he was NOT happy.   
“Why is it important to ya?”   
“I don’t know.  I told you about my scars.  And I’m not ashamed of them, either.  I still wore a bathing suit to the beach and didn’t give a damn what anyone thought.  Look, if you really don’t want to tell me, you don’t have to.”   
He sighed.  “It was my dad.  He’d hit me for anything.  Because I breathed too loud.  From as young as I can remember.”   
Angel figured as much, she’d seen stuff like that when she worked at the hospital, and it always made her furious.  She would call Child Protective Services every time, and nothing would happen.

Daryl spoke again.  “Once I ran away from home, was gone for 9 days in the woods.  When I got back, he hadn’t even noticed I was gone.”   
That broke Angel’s heart.  To not even notice he was gone for so long?  Tears filled her eyes, she couldn’t help it.

Daryl saw and grabbed her by the shoulders, telling her, “No!  NO!  Don’t ya go feelin’ sorry for me like I’m some broken toy!  Don’t ya dare!”

“Daryl, stop!  I’m not feeling sorry for you!  Or maybe I am.  I’m sorry that you lived like that.  I’m sorry that someone hurt you like that.  I’m sorry that you didn’t get the love a kid should get.  I’m sorry that even though I didn’t know you and even though my life wasn’t a bed of roses, I’m sorry that I couldn’t help!”   
Daryl put his arms around her and held her close.  For the second time today, they stood clinging to each other in the shower.

Quietly, Angel told him, “When you hold me like this, I can hear your heartbeat.”   
“Yeah?  Is that good or bad?”   
“It’s good.  It’s really good…”

“Let’s get out, ok?”

 

They dried off and went to bed.  Angel was lying there reading  _ Tom Sawyer _ , and Daryl had pushed her sleep shirt up and was tracing lines on her tummy: circles, squares, hearts, triangles...

“Ya got the softest damn skin I ever felt.”   
“You been feeling a lot of girls?”   
“Nope.  Not in a long, long time.  I like touchin’ ya.”   
“I like it, too.”

He looked up at her.  “That a good book?”   
“ _ Tom Sawyer _ ?  Yeah, it’s a classic.  You never read it?”   
“Nah.  Wasn’t much for school.”  He looked up at her.  “But I CAN read.”   
“I didn’t doubt.”   
Daryl kissed her tummy and pulled himself up next to her on the bed.  “Would ya read some of it to me?”

Angel smiled at him.  “I’d love to.”

She curled herself into Daryl. “‘Tom said to himself that it was not such a hollow world, after all. He had discovered a great law of human action, without knowing it -- namely, that in order to make a man or a boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain...’”   
“He’s right,” Daryl told her, “You were difficult to attain.”     
“No I wasn’t!”   
“Yep.  But you were worth it….”   
“Yeah?”   
“Oh yeah.”   
He leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose, then a peck on the lips, then a much deeper kiss...the book soon fell to the floor, forgotten.

 

Daryl started kissing down Angel’s neck, reaching down and pulling her sleep shirt off over her head.  He pushed her large breasts together and started lapping at her nipples.  She grabbed the back of his head to keep him from moving away.  He tugged them gently with his teeth, and she let out a loud moan.  “Ya like that, don’tcha, babygirl?” he asked her.

Reaching down, he started tugging off her panties, then gently ran one finger along her slit, causing her to buck against his hand.  She was already soaked for him, and he dragged his finger back and forth along her slit, not entering, just barely grazing her clit, over and over.     
“God dammit, Daryl, more!” she demanded.

Whispering in her ear, he asked, “What’s the magic word, princess?”   
“Please!” she cried out.

Daryl slid slowly down her body, giving nips here and there.  When he got down to that perfect little tummy of hers, he started sucking right below her belly button, leaving a mark.  He slid lower and gently parted her legs, licking and sucking on her thighs, leaving more marks, and making her writhe beneath him.   
God, he loved the sounds she made.  Every little moan and whimper shot straight to his cock, making him rock hard.  He couldn’t wait to be buried inside her, but first, he wanted, no NEEDED, to taste her.  Angel was his drug, and he was addicted.  And he knew it.  And it was a little scary.

Daryl dipped his head between her legs, and flicked his tongue, snake like, over  her clit.  Her back arched and she cried out.  “Ya like that, babygirl?”   
“Oh god, yeah.”

He used his hand to spread her wet pink lips apart gently, then plunged his tongue in.  God, she always tasted so damn sweet.  Eating her pussy was a goddamn treat - better than ice cream.  Looking up at her as his tongue swept through her again and again,  her back arching, little whimpers coming from her mouth, and goddamn her tits were amazing.  He reached up and placed her own hands on her breasts, and stopped licking her long enough to say, “Touch yaself, babygirl.  Show me how ya like it.”

Then his mouth was buried between her legs again.  Daryl watched as Angel touched her nipples: pulling, pinching, twisting.  Yep, she liked it a little rough.  That was fine with him.  He pulled his mouth from her wetness and slid up her body, and she begged him, “No, Daryl, please don’t stop!”

“Shhh,” he comforted her, sliding his hand down to take his place.  “I promise I’ll make ya feel good, baby.  But I want to see ya face when ya cum.”   
He slid his wet fingers over her clit again and again, making her breath hitch.  Soon, she was thrusting up against his hand.  He was whispering to her, “Babygirl, ya look so good.  Fuckin’ gorgeous.  That feel good?  So wet…”  He slid his index and middle finger between her folds, caught her clit between them, and jiggled it.   
That was it.

Angel was sure she had died and gone to both heaven and hell.  Her vision went white, and her back arched hard, lifting her off the bed.  Luckily Daryl had a good grip on her, and wouldn’t stop that demonic clit jiggle.  All Angel could do was gasp and moan and scream, and through it all, Daryl’s voice in her ear.  “That’s it, babygirl, cum hard for me!  Fuckin’ soak my hand, Angel!”   
She collapsed on the bed, spent.  Suddenly, Daryl was in her line of vision, saying, “Oh shit, baby!  I’m so sorry!  Dammit, I’m so fuckin’ sorry, Angel!”

Angel reached out to him, confused.  “Daryl, I’m fine!  What are you talking about?”   
“Angel, I made ya cry!  I’m so sorry!  I was too rough wasn’t I?  God dammit!”

Angel put a hand to her face, and sure enough, tears were flowing out of her eyes.  That hadn’t happened in a long time.  She sat up and wrapped her arms around Daryl.  “You didn’t hurt me baby, I promise.  It was just….that was a good, hard orgasm.  It released a lot of stuff, and not just cum,” she chuckled.

Daryl was stroking her face and wiping away her tears.  “Ya sure?  If I hurt ya, ever, ya tell me, ok?”   
“I will. I promise.”   
Poor Daryl was so concerned.  “I can’t believe I made ya cry….”   
“Well, how about you make it up to me by making me smile?”

 

Daryl leaned down and kissed her gently.  She could tell he was still afraid he had done something bad, it was written all over his face.  “Daryl, baby, please.  I swear I’m ok.  Do I look like I’m in any kind of distress?”

“No.”   
“That’s because I’m not.  But you, sir, are in definite distress.”   
“No I ain’t.”   
Angel reached down under his boxer briefs, and wrapped her hand around his hard cock.  “I beg to differ.”   
“Angel, we ain’t gotta…”

“Yes, we fucking do!”

With that, she rolled them over so Daryl was beneath her.  She knew he wasn’t going to want to do much for fear of hurting her.  She smiled at him, “I wouldn’t do this if you had hurt me.” __   
Meanwhile, his mind was working overtime.  Angel had said he didn’t hurt her, and she did look fine, but he hated seeing a girl cry.  He never knew what to do about it.  The only other time he’d ever seen her cry was when they found her in the woods, and when she told them in the cabin what had happened, and that was a damn good reason to cry, he had to admit.   
She lived up to her name, Angel, as far as he was concerned.  He didn’t know the whole story about her childhood, but aside from her real dad, it seemed like it was as shitty as his.  More so, even, as it seemed her stepdad slashed her up.  She’d been through a lot, and came through it an amazing person.  A fighter.  A doctor.  A lover.  An angel.  HIS Angel

Angel leaned down to kiss him.  “Hey buddy.  Wanna get out of your head and come back here?”   
“Sorry, babygirl.”   
“Stop thinking about it, stop apologizing,”  she pulled off his boxer briefs, “...and start fucking me.”

She ran those smooth hands of hers up and down his cock, sliding the precome that dribbled out all along his shaft to lube it up.

Angel positioned herself over his cock and slowly lowered herself on it.  Daryl ran his hands up her legs and rested them on her hips, still afraid of hurting her.  Once he was fully seated in her, she began to move up and down, Daryl’s breath hitched, and he breathed out, “Oh, Angel….”     
His eyes closed and she leaned down, and kissed his eyelids.  He drew his arms around her and held her tight as she tried to sit up.  He opened his eyes, looking into hers and said, “Stay close.  I need you close…” Angel just nodded.   
He couldn’t take his eyes off of hers.  She would blink or glance away, only to look back and find that steel gaze of his still locked on her.  They were both hushed.  Something shifted inside the both of them.    
It was slow and amazing.  Daryl was running his hands along Angel’s back, neck, and face, never talking his eyes off of her.  He didn’t care if he never looked at anything else again.  All he wanted was her.

Angel started to ride him faster as he continued to hold on to her, so close they were sharing each other's breath.  Faster and harder, Daryl was also approaching his orgasm.  Not wanting to destroy the beautiful silence, Angel whispered, “Oh god, Daryl, I’m so close, so close….”  In response, he thrusted himself up to meet her.  She sucked in a breath, her back arched, and she let out a strangled cry as she exploded on him.  

Daryl came as well, deep inside of her, chanting her name like a prayer, and holding her tightly to him.  He felt like he couldn’t let her go. Angel’s face was buried in his neck as she caught her breath.  She pulled up and looked at him.  “That was….amazing.”

He nodded, “Yeah…..”

“You ok?”   
“Yeah.  You?”

“Yeah…..” she rested her head on his chest. Something was different, and they both knew it.  Neither of them wanted to say it.  But it had gone from a physical attraction to something….deeper.     
Angel closed her eyes, and let his heart beat and steady breathing lull her to sleep.


	20. Chapter 20

Daryl and Aaron were scheduled to go out again to look for survivors.  The decision was made to head West, and they would be gone for a whole week, which didn’t make Angel happy.  She understood what they were doing and why, after all, they had found her, but still.  It was so dangerous out there.

She and Daryl were laying in bed when she approached the subject.   
“How about if I go with you guys?  Safety in numbers and all.”   
“No way.  Ya gotta stay here.  Way too dangerous.”   
“I know it’s dangerous.  I lived out there, remember?”   
“Do ya remember how we found ya?” he said, sitting up.  “Ya wanna have some psycho get his hands on ya again?  What if we didn’t find ya this time?”

“Daryl, stop yelling at me!”   
“Stop talkin’ crazy and I will!  Think about it: what if there’s another girl out there like you who’s needin’ our help?”   
“Tough shit.”   
“Come on now, girl.  I know you don’t think like that.”

“No, I don’t,” Angel said, ashamed.  “I just...I just don’t want you to go, I’m afraid something might happen.  What then?”   
Daryl pulled her close.  “Babygirl, ain’t nothin’ gonna happen to me.”   
“Just promise you’ll be ok.  Promise you’ll come back to me.”   
Daryl looked at his beautiful little Angel.  “I promise ya I’ll be ok and I’ll come back to ya.  Ain’t nothin’ gonna keep me away from ya.  Nothin’.”

They fell asleep in each other's arms, as always.  Each of them knowing it would be hard to sleep apart.

They had still felt like someone was watching them here and there.  The two of them talked to Abraham and Rosita about it.  It was decided that while Daryl was gone, they would come stay with Angel in the house, since Carol had all but moved in with Tobin.  Daryl didn’t want her to stay alone, and honestly, Angel didn’t want to be alone.

 

And someone was watching them, here and there.  Emma.  She had been dating/fucking Brian, for lack of anything better to do.  Emma just did not like how things worked here.  Deanna had made her work in the fields, saying that if she didn’t work, she didn’t eat.  Forced into a job she hated, and being kept from the man she was supposed to have, this was bullshit.  Couldn’t anybody see that she was fucking perfect?  She shouldn’t have to work.  Getting up early was not fun, and neither was working in the hot sun.  And that bitch doctor with Daryl.

 

Emma had heard that Daryl would be gone for a week.  She had planned to take care of that doctor somehow until she heard someone else in the fields talk about how Abraham and Rosita were going to be staying with her.  The big red haired man frightened her, so she wouldn’t be able to take care of her.  Damn.  She was going to have to come up with another plan.

 

The day for Daryl and Aaron to leave came.  Angel was so depressed about the whole thing.  Before he left the gates, he gave her a long, passionate kiss in front of everyone.  Then told her, “I’m comin’ back.  Just sit tight, babygirl.  I’m comin’ back.”  Angel just nodded.  If she spoke she would start crying, and she hated that.  He got on his motorcycle and gave her one last look before he drove out and the gates closed.  

 

Angel wasn’t sure how long she stood there looking at at the gate.  Everyone knew that they had finally gotten together, and right now, a lot of people were feeling for Angel.  She looked so lost, just staring at that fence.  Even Spencer felt bad for her.  He finally approached her.

“Hey Doc?  Why don’t you head on home with Rosita there?  Maybe get yourself some lunch?  I promise I’ll watch the gate real close.  I’ll open it right away when they get back.”   
Angel looked at him and gave him a weak nod, and Rosita led her back to the house.

 

Angel and Rosita stayed in the house for the rest of the day, and Deanna approved it.  This made Emma furious.  If Brian went anywhere, Emma knew she wouldn’t get a day off.  It was so unfair.  Emma got stuck in the hot fields all day while that doctor bitch spent half of her day sitting on her ass in a clinic that rarely got used, and the other half in the tower, watching for trouble that never came.  Deanna wouldn’t let Emma work in the tower, she said she didn’t feel that was where she would be able to “do her best”.  This shit was getting old.

 

Rosita came into the living room where Angel was sitting, and gave her a glass of juice.  Angel tried to wave it away, but Rosita insisted.  “Come on, sweetie.  You gotta get something in your stomach.  I’m betting you didn’t have any breakfast.”  Angel took the juice and sipped at it.  

“I’m sorry, Rosita.  I shouldn’t even be so depressed.   I know he’s capable.  It’s just….ugh.”   
“Aw sweetie, I know.  I can’t imagine Abraham being gone for a week.  I get worried with him being gone during the day.  It’s normal.”

 

The week passed by slowly.  Angel went to the clinic every morning, to the tower every afternoon, then back home every evening.  She saw Emma at one point hanging all over a guy named Brian, good.  Maybe she had finally reeled in her antennae.  Abraham and Rosita tried to keep her spirits up, playing card games with her.  One night they had a big dinner at Rick’s house and played board games.  She put on a good face, but her heart wasn’t in it.   She missed Daryl terribly.

 

Some 200 miles away in a place called Brookhaven, West Virginia, Daryl was missing her, too.  Poor Aaron could tell as Daryl was testy and cranky….well, testier and crankier than usual.  And Aaron missed Eric, too.  They weren’t having any luck finding anyone who wasn’t dead, and neither of them understood why they had to go out for so long.  Late one night as they were sitting by their small campfire, Aaron asked, “Do you think that we’ll find anyone else like Angel out here?”  A smile played on Daryl’s face as he replied, “Ain’t NOBODY like Angel.”  Aaron laughed then said, “You know what I mean.  Do you think there are other good people out there?”

Daryl thought for a minute.  “Well, we talked ‘bout it one night.  She thinks there are prolly pockets of survivors everywhere.  Maybe they hide, like she did.  Gotta remember, she thought she was the only one left.  The ones she saw before were bad people….so were the ones she was with when we found her.  If they see us comin’, well, maybe they get scared.  They luck into some kinda safe place, they got limited supplies, they don’t know if we’re here to help or not, no matter what we tell ‘em.”  Aaron stared at Daryl, and he said, “What?”   
“Nothing, I’ve just never heard you say so much at once.  And I think you’re right.  Nobody is going to trust us.  I talked with Maggie one day, and she told me about some of the stuff you guys went through.  Can’t say I blame you guys for not trusting me at first, either.”

They sat in silence for awhile, then Daryl said, “Get some sleep, I’ll take first watch.”   
“Okay.  Thanks.”

Daryl had to admit that he and Aaron were an unlikely friendship.  A few years ago he wouldn’t have gone anywhere near a gay guy.  He and Merle didn’t take to beating up anyone, but that didn’t mean they wanted to hang out with them, either.  As far as he was aware, they didn’t have any gay friends.  But Aaron and Eric accepted him from day one.  Even Rick’s group hadn’t trusted him at first, and with good reason.  He and Merle had planned to rob them.  He was glad that they never did.  They were his family now.  He trusted them and they trusted him back.  Back at the prison, he was part of their council, and people listened when he spoke.  He was more than just some dumb redneck.  Hell, he was the first person who fed Judith.  

The thought of the little girl made him smile.  He made sure to go over to Rick’s every day, even just for a few minutes, just to see her.  When he walked in, she would smile with those few teeth she had, and raise her arms up for him to pick her up.  Some days she was a little chatterbox, babbling to him about her day in baby talk.  Other days, she was tired and would lay her sweet little head on his shoulder, drooling and chewing on his vest.  He had told her once, “Ya know, it’s a good thing ya so cute.  I wouldn’t tolerate just anybody spittin’ on my leather.”  She just threw her little head back and laughed.  Her little laugh made life worth living.   
Well, her and Angel.   
Angel was something else.  She was so smart and beautiful.  And she liked him.  It just didn’t make sense.  He couldn’t wait to get home to her.  Her sweet smell.  Her adorable smile.  The way she would get so exasperated pushing what she called her “40 pounds of hair” out of the way.  He slept better next to her.  And just thinking about that made him have to adjust himself in his pants.

He sat up and fiddled with his bolts and crossbow to have something to do.  He just wanted to get home to his lady.  He still couldn’t believe he had asked her to be his girl, and the casual way he’d done it in the shower.  He was thrilled when she said, “Of course I will,” like it was the most natural thing in the world.  But that morning shower sex….it was damn good, but there was something else, and he was sure they both felt it.  How they stood there just looking at each other for a minute before he pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her.  And again that night when she was reading to him.  Just a feeling, real intense….he couldn’t put it into words.  Maybe it was love?  Could Daryl Dixon actually feel love?  He knew he loved Judith, but that was different.  And of course he loved Carol, but that was different too.  Was he in love with Angel?  Could it happen that fast?  He knew he spent a lot of time thinking about her, like now.  Nah, couldn’t be.  He was a Dixon and “love” wasn’t even part of their vocabulary.     
She was just really fucking good in bed. 

And really pretty.   
And had soft skin.

And she tasted like candy.   
God dammit.

He was still musing everything over when Aaron woke up for his watch.  Daryl slept, and dreamed of dark wavy hair, beautiful brown eyes, and little pink lips smiling at him.

 

It seemed to take forever, but the week was finally up.  The guys couldn’t wait to get home.  They made a quick journey slightly farther west to White Park in Morgantown, then drove through Hopewell and Hazelton in West Virginia.  They stuck to Interstate 68 most of the way, then went on back roads.  They were at North Springfield, about 20 minutes away.  Daryl could practically feel Angel’s arms around him.  They stopped when they saw a wildcat dragging something across the road about 50 yards up.  Aaron pulled his car up next to Daryl, asking, “What is that?”   
“Looks like a bobcat.”   
“Is that a person it’s dragging?”   
“It was.”

Suddenly the person let out a scream of pain.  They were still alive!  Daryl kicked his motorcycle into gear and sped toward them, hoping his bike would scare the big cat away.  He got closer and it worked, the bobcat ran away very pissed off, and Aaron pulled up right behind him.  Daryl’s heart nearly pounded out of his chest when he saw it wasn’t just any person.

 

It was a little girl.


	21. Chapter 21

Daryl jumped off of his bike and ran to her. That bobcat had torn her up something fierce. It must have been hungry to go after a person. Aaron came running with a blanket from the car, and Daryl helped wrap her up in it. The girl was crying and weakly saying, “Mama, mama….” Daryl picked her up. “We got ya, sweetie. Gonna get ya some help.” He placed her gently in the backseat of the car. He told Aaron, “We gotta hurry, she’s goin’ into shock.”  
Getting on his bike, Daryl pushed it full throttle, and Aaron was right behind him. When they got close enough, Aaron started beeping the horn to alert them to open the gate. They didn’t have a moment to spare. Sasha was up in the tower and shouted “Open the gates, quick!” Spencer and Harold, the guy whose hand Angel had pried a fish hook out of, pushed the gates open quickly. Daryl drove in with Aaron behind him. They didn’t stop, as was custom, instead speeding through the streets of the compound the few blocks to the clinic.   
Angel, Rosita, and Abraham ran out to see what the commotion was about. Daryl came running up with the little girl wrapped in the blanket and Angel sprang into action.  
Daryl put the little girl and the gurney and opened the blanket and Angel asked him, “Walker?”  
“No, bobcat.”  
“Parents?”  
“Not that I could see.”  
She then barked to Rosita, “Get some sutures ready and an IV.” Turning to Abraham, she told him, “I may need you to intubate, sit tight.” Abraham nodded and stood aside. Then Angel turned to Daryl and told him, “Get out.”  
“What?!”  
“Get out of my O/R god dammit!”  
Rick had followed them in, and she called, “Rick, get him the hell out of here!”  
Rick basically dragged him out as Abraham drew the curtain around the little girl.

Once out of the room, Daryl yanked his arm away from Rick and yelled, “What the hell was that all about?!”  
“Daryl, she needs you out of her way. She needs to work.”  
“Bullshit! I coulda helped, I coulda - “  
“No, you couldn’t. Rosita has been training for his, and Abraham has done a bit of it in the military as well. You would get in the way.”  
Daryl glared at him, and Rick held his hands up in surrender. “You know I’m right. You’ve done all you could by finding her and bringing her here.”   
Daryl sat down, frustrated. Rick was right. He just hated feeling helpless.

Rosita got the sutures ready and Abraham stood by if she needed to be intubated. Angel put her stethoscope to the chest of the little girl and listened. She moved it around a bit, then took the girl's wrist checking her pulse. She stopped and hung her head. Quietly she said, “Rosita, put the sutures away. Thank you for waiting, Abraham.”  
Rosita, having not seen, remarked, “But you said…”  
“She’s gone, Rosita.” Angel told her. “She’s dead.”  
Rosita lips trembled. “Oh no...no, Angel. She’s just a baby.”  
“I know. She’s too torn up. She’s lost too much blood. She’s gone.”  
Rosita lowered her head and started to cry. Angel knew what was coming. She knew this kid was going to wake up and come after them. She grabbed a scalpel off the surgical tray and started walking toward her head.  
“Hey, Tiny,” Abraham stopped her. “I got it. You don’t need to do this. Go let them know outside.”  
Angel took a deep breath and mentally applied her doctor demeanor. She’d had to tell patients back in the old world when someone they loved didn’t make it. She could tell it to a bunch of people who were complete strangers to the little girl.  
Meanwhile, a crowd had grown in the little waiting room. In addition to Rick and Daryl, there was Aaron, Michonne, Tara, Carol, and Carl holding baby Judith.  
Angel took a breath and said, “I’m sorry, she didn’t make it.”  
There were gasps and murmurs, and Tara started to cry.  
Daryl, in a voice cold as ice, simply said, “What?”  
Angel ran her hand through her hair, “She’s gone. She just didn’t make it.”  
“She was alive when I brought her in here!”  
“No she wasn’t, Daryl. I’m sorry. She was alive when you found her. She was dead on that table.”  
“Ain’t you a doctor? Help her!” he yelled.  
“Help her what? She is GONE, Daryl. I can’t bring back the dead. That girl likely bled out on the way here. Even with a fully stocked hospital, a trauma team, and a full blood bank, that girl was not going to make it.”  
Daryl was positively fuming. “Did ya even try? Or did ya just sit there and look at her?”  
Angel couldn’t handle it anymore. “God dammit Daryl! Are you listening to me at all? She. Is. GONE. I’m sorry! I wish I could have helped her, but there was nothing, absolutely NOTHING, I could do! Aaron is lucky she didn’t come back while he was driving and attack him!”  
Daryl shouldered his crossbow and walked out, a few seconds later, she heard his motorcycle start.   
Tara sniffled and spoke, “Hey Doc? Do you think I could go in and see her? I just think….I think it’s important that someone sees her. That someone knows that she was here….”  
Angel sighed. “Yeah, just give me a sec. I need to check that she was...taken care of.”  
She turned and walked back into the room. Rosita was quietly putting the supplies away. Abraham was leaning over the little girl, stroking her hair. “Abraham? Did you….take care of her?” Angel asked.  
“Yeah,” he replied. “I waited for her to wake up. I had to, I had to see that she was one of those things myself, and she was. I put it in the top of her head. She’s really gone now.”  
“Thanks. Tara wants to come in and pay her respects. Probably a couple of others, too. Rosita, are you ok?”  
“Yeah,” Rosita said softly. “We’ve lost so many. People I cared about, that were my friends. I didn’t even know her. Why am I so upset?”  
“Because she was a kid. She didn’t really get a chance out there. Maybe her family was coming this way. Maybe they got separated. Maybe her folks were already dead.” Angel said.  
She walked back to the doors and opened them, saying, “If anyone wants to go pay their respects, feel free. Keep in mind, she was clawed by a bobcat, she doesn’t look great.”  
As people filed in, she snuck out the back door and sat on the porch. Watching the sun slowly setting, she could almost pretend that the world hadn’t gone to hell. Almost.  
Now a little girl was dead, and her boyfriend was off who knows where. Angel hung her head and tried not to cry. The door opened and Rick came out and sat down next to her. She said, “There really was nothing I could do.”  
“I know.” Rick put his arm over her shoulders. “You didn’t have a choice.”  
“Daryl thinks I didn’t try. There was nothing to try with. No heartbeat, no pulse, nothing. I can’t perform miracles, I wish I could.”  
“He just needs to cool down.”  
“I guess.”  
Angel walked back in and caught Aaron. “Hey do you have any injuries that I need to check over?”  
“No, I’m good. Daryl isn’t hurt either. Just fyi.”  
“Ok. I think I need to go home.”  
“Get some rest. We have guys who take care of the...deceased. I’ll have them take care of the little girl.”  
“Thanks.”

Angel walked back to the house in the cool night air. As she approached the house, she saw Daryl’s motorcycle out front. He was home. She wasn’t sure if she should go in or not. But really, what were her options? Standing out front all night? She walked in and headed up the stairs. The shower was going in the bathroom. Hesitating, she wondered if she should join him, but decided against it. He needed his space. At least for now.

When Daryl left the clinic, he considered going out in the woods to hunt, but knew it would be dark soon. Instead he went in the house and upstairs to his room and tried to calm himself down. She didn’t even try! He chastised himself silently, ‘Ya know better. Ya know she woulda saved that kid if she could.’  
He knew she was right. If the girl was already gone, there wasn’t anything she could do. If she bled out, there was nothing that would have helped. He needed to calm down. He needed a damn shower.  
And he needed his Angel.

Angel changed and curled up in bed with her book. She left her door open, so she could hear when Daryl was done in the shower, but dozed off.

Daryl finished showering and dried himself off. He needed to be with Angel. He needed to apologize and hold her. He couldn’t stand being away from her any longer, it made him feel awful. He changed in his room and walked over to hers. She was asleep. For a few minutes, he just watched her like he had that night at the clinic. She was curled on her side with her legs drawn up, and her hair pulled into a braid. She looked even tinier than she was. He walked quietly to the bed and climbed in behind her, trying not to wake her. It didn’t work. She stirred and said sleepily, “Daryl?”  
“Yeah, it’s me, babygirl. Go back to sleep.”  
Angel turned to face him and scooted close, and he put his arms around her, pulling her flush against him. She snuggled into him and he thought one word: ‘Home’.  
He spoke quietly, unsure if she had fallen asleep or not. “I’m so sorry. I know ya tried. I don’t know why I said what I did…”  
“Because you’re a jackass,” her sleepy voice replied.  
Daryl chuckled at that. “Ok, because I’ma jackass.”  
“But you’re MY jackass. And I sure do like you. And I sure did miss you,” she said, turning her head up to him.  
He leaned his head down and kissed her, realizing he had been home for a few hours, and had just now kissed her. He told himself he should never wait that long again. He ran his hands down her body, and frowned. She felt different. Skinnier. “Babygirl, did ya lose weight?”   
Angel gave him a sheepish look. “Yeah…”  
“What the hell for? Ya ain’t got much ta begin with.”  
“I didn’t do it on purpose. I lost my appetite when you were gone, I worried so much.”  
Daryl gave her a stern look. “That ain’t gonna cut it, girl. Ya gotta eat, especially when I’m gone. Gonna get on Abe and Rosita tomorrow about that. Promise ya won’t do it again.”  
Angel was not only touched at his concern, she was surprised he had noticed. Then again, he did know her body, inside and out. “I promise,” she told him sitting up. She began to get out of bed and he said, “Where do ya think you’re goin’?”  
“Downstairs for some water, I’m thirsty.”  
“Sit tight,” he said sitting up. “I got it.”  
Angel laid back in the bed and felt something dig into her hip. It was her book. She had fallen asleep reading it. She leaned over to place it on the nightstand, being lazy, and couldn’t quite reach. It slid off the edge of the nightstand onto the bed, and right into the crevice between the headboard and the mattress. Great. She muttered to herself, “Dammit,” and reached her arm down in the space to find it.  
Daryl came back up with her water, and was greeted by the sight of her ass high in the air wiggling around. He almost dropped the glass. “What’cha doin’, girl?”  
“My book fell, I’m trying to reach it.” She finally did and tossed it on the nightstand, looking over her shoulder at Daryl. He was holding a glass of water and had a huge erection. It was almost comical.  
“Is that for me?” she asked.  
“Uh, yeah,” he said, holding out the glass of water.  
“That’s not what I was talking about…” She started to turn around, but he said, “Don’t move.”  
Angel was up on her knees as Daryl walked over, setting the glass of water down on the nightstand. He pulled out the ponytail holder at the bottom of her braid and unwound it. Running his hands through the thick strands and down her back, he tugged down her panties and helped her take them off. He pulled off her little tank top as well, watching as her nipples hardened.   
Daryl was trying to think of the nicest way he could ask her to go “face down, ass up” when she said, “Do you want me like I was?” Daryl’s mouth was so dry that he just gave her a quick nod. Angel slid her ass back, high in the air, as she pulled a pillow under her chest and looked at him. “What’s going through your head, mister?” she asked. “I can practically hear you thinking all the way over here.” He didn’t answer her, just ran his hand up her back from her shoulder and then over that perfect ass of hers. She smiled at him, “I seem to remember you saying that I have the best ass you ever saw, and you wanted to do things to it, right?” Daryl nodded and she said, “This is your chance.”  
He climbed on the bed behind her. He ran his hands up her legs, from her knees, up over her thighs, and then placed them on that perfect ass. Gently he slid her legs apart, and Angel arched her back, pushing her pussy out. With the view he had, Daryl thought he’d died and gone to heaven. Tracing his finger up along her slit, he whispered, “Oh Angel….” He followed the path his finger was making with his tongue. He spread her cheeks apart with his hands and saw her tiny, pink puckered asshole. Should he do what he was thinking? He wanted her. He wanted ALL of her. Daryl had never really engaged in any kind of anal play, but this was Angel. He wanted every inch of her. Leaning forward, he ran his tongue over it. He heard Angel gasp and stiffen, then sigh and relax. He did it again, and felt her push back against his mouth. “Ya like that, dirty girl?” he said quietly to her.  
“Mmm hmmmm….”  
Never in his life did Daryl think he’d eat a girl’s ass, but he was loving it. Judging by the way Angel was squirming and the sounds she was making, she was loving it, too. He was never letting her go. Leaning back, he admired the view for a moment, and seeing how wet she was, he couldn’t resist sliding his finger in her hot little pussy. She groaned and pushed back.  
He started tonguing her asshole again, finger still sliding in and out of her wetness. Then he ran the finger against the hole. Again, Angel stiffened, then relaxed. As he rubbed his finger around her tight hole, he asked her, “Ya ever done this before, Angel?” She managed to breathe out, “No…” He paused and asked, “Ya want me ta stop?”  
“No.”  
“Ya okay with this?”  
“Yeah.” She looked over her shoulder, smiling, and said, “You get to take my ass virginity.”  
Daryl chuckled at that, but inside, he was glad that she trusted him.  
“If I hurt ya, let me know, yeah?”  
“Okay……”  
Slowly, Daryl started to slide his finger into her ass. He gently rubbed her back with his other hand. Angel pointed to the nightstand, and said, “In the drawer…” Reaching over and opening the drawer, he saw a small bottle of lube. “Where’d ya get this?”  
“Found it in a dresser drawer. Guess it belonged the the previous tenants.”  
Daryl pulled out his finger and coated it with lube. It slid back in much more easily. He worked it around gently for a few minutes, then told her, “I’m new at this too. Not too sure what ta do next…”  
Smiling at him over her shoulder (damn he loved her smile!), she whispered, “Another.”  
Applying more lube, he slid a second finger in with the first. He worked slower, not wanting to hurt her. Soon, she was pushing back against him again, surprising him.

Angel had never thought she’d like anything having to do with anal. As far as she was concerned, that door was marked “Exit Only”. But with Daryl, well, Daryl made everything better. Every touch, every look, was new and different and wonderful. She wanted Daryl in every way possible. She was his, period.

When Angel started pushing back against his fingers, he was glad, he was still afraid of hurting her. But from the sounds she was making, he definitely was NOT hurting her. She was enjoying it, and that thrilled him. All he wanted to do was whatever she needed to feel good.

Angel looked over her shoulder at him and told him, “Daryl? I really need you inside of me…”  
He lined up his cock at her wet entrance, but she told him, “Not there….” Daryl nearly passed out. Well, she *had* said he would get to take her ass virginity.

He leaned down over her back. “Baby, are ya sure? I mean really sure?”  
“Yeah. Just use lots of lube and go really slow, ok?”  
“I will, Angel. Just let me know if ya need me ta stop.”  
She flashed him a beautiful smile, and promised, “I will.”

Daryl picked up the lube and thoroughly coated his cock with it, then poured more on her tiny hole. He was shaking, so afraid of hurting her. As gently as he could, he slowly pushed just the head in. He heard her gasp, and immediately said, “Oh shit, am I hurtin’ ya?!”  
“No sweetie. I’m fine. It’s just….different. Just give me a sec to get used to it….”  
After a minute or two, she said, “”Ok….more…”

Daryl slid in inch by agonizing inch. She was so tight it was almost unbearable, yet it felt so good. He went as slow as he possibly could with her, even though he wanted nothing more than to sink into her tightness and fuck her for all she was worth. They were both panting and covered in sweat. Daryl would slide in a little bit at a time, and stop when he felt her tense up. Angel would take deep breaths and he would rub her back and tell her how good she was doing, then she would relax and tell him, “Ok.” It was a long process. And Daryl had nothing that he wanted to do more.

Angel said, “Ok,” and Daryl finally slid the last bit of his cock in. He let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding, and said quietly, “I’m all in baby. Fuck, ya feel amazing. Are ya good?”  
She took a few deep breaths and replied, “Yeah….it feels….different. It doesn’t really hurt it’s just….strange, I guess. Um...hm...yeah, go ahead and move a little….”

Daryl pulled his cock out a little bit and slid it back in. She felt so goddamn amazing. “Babygirl, maybe I should pull out. Ya real tight and it feels so good. Not sure how long I can last.”  
Angel reached up and grabbed one of his hands that was on her hip and slid it between her legs. She pushed herself up on her arms and simply said, “Go.”

He started a smooth, easy pace, sliding in and out with ease thanks to not only the copious amount of lube he had used, but also the pre-cum that was leaking out of his cock. Angel was holding onto the headboard, and Daryl had his fingers working furiously on her clit. She started to push back against him, and her told her, “Angel, I ain’t gonna take much longer.”

She was about to reply when her orgasm blindsided her. “Daryl, I - OH FUCK! OH GOD, AH! AH! OH DARYL!” His ass clamped down on his cock even tighter if that was possible and pushed him over the edge into an orgasm as well, one so strong, he had tears in his eyes. “OH ANGEL! OH babygirl! FUUUUCK! OH…..oh my god….so beautiful, babygirl, so beautiful….” He collapsed on top of her, trying not to crush her, but it seemed as though his arms weren’t working. He tried to push himself up and failed. Angel giggled underneath him, telling him, “It’s ok, you aren’t smushing me.”

He was finally able to slide his softening cock out of her tiny little ass, and rolled off of her and onto his back. Angel rested her chin on his chest, asking him, “Remember how you thought you hurt me that one night when I cried, even though I told you I was ok?”  
“Uh huh.”  
Angel reached up and swiped her finger across his cheek and held it up. “Now will you believe me?”  
It was a tear.  
A tear from him.  
Daryl reached up and ran his hand over his cheeks, found them wet, and knew it wasn’t from sweat.  
Even more amazing, he wasn’t embarrassed.  
He pulled Angel close. “Damn babygirl. Ya too good ta me. I….”  
That “I” hung in the air ominously. Angel looked at him. “‘I’ what? Want to finish that sentence?” He couldn’t. He wanted to, but just couldn’t. Instead saying, “I need some sleep. Ya wore me out.”  
Rather than push the issue, Angel just snuggled up to him and slept.


	22. Chapter 22

Everything was quiet for a few days.  One night Daryl let Angel know that he was going hunting the next morning and wouldn’t be back until after dark.  He just needed to get out from behind the walls for a bit, and she understood.  The next morning they woke up with the sun.  She helped him pack a few provisions for the day, and after a kiss goodbye, he was off.     
Angel was heading to the clinic later and heard Abraham and Deanna arguing again.  She heard the man’s angry voice telling her, “We gotta put something on those braces!  You saw Tiny walk right up them!”   
“I’m not disagreeing with you Abraham.  But I am not sending our residents out on a wild goose chase for some barbed wire!”   
“I’m not telling you to send them out at random!  We saw a damn Home Depot on our way here!  It will have what we need.”   
A small crowd had gathered, and one of the men said, “We went by there a few weeks ago.  It’s useless.  The back wall is caved in, and the place is overrun.  There’s no way to secure it.”   
Abraham ran his hand through his short hair and muttered, “Motherdick.”  Angel giggled at that.  Abraham whipped his head around at the sound, but his face softened when he saw who it was.  “Hey, Tiny.”

“Hey, Big Red.” 

“I guess you heard our….’discussion’?”   
“I think everyone in town did. There’s gotta be another place.  Maybe father out.  Maybe just a hardware store in general….”   
Suddenly a voice said, “There’s one in Sterling!”  It was Harold, the guy who has gotten a fish hook stuck in his hand that Angel had to take care of.

“Sterling?”  Abraham said.  “Where’s that?”   
“It’s where I lived.  It’s a small place, about 25 miles away.  I can draw you a map.  And the Home Depot was locked with a chain outside.  Maybe there aren’t any of those things inside.”   
Abraham asked, “How do you know?”   
Harold said, “We wanted to stay and board up the house.  I went there for the lumber and it was locked up tight.  Chains with padlocks on all the doors..  That’s when we left.  We found this place and have been here ever since.”   
“You’re taking us there,” Abraham announced.   
“What?  No!  I won’t go out around those things!  I’ve got a son!”

“Y’all need to learn how to defend yourself.”   
Angel stepped up.  “Abraham, he’s not prepared.  You know that’s not right.  These people need to be trained, not thrown into the fire.  Harold, can you draw me a map?”   
“Of course.  I can even draw you a floor plan of the place, I worked there at one point.”   
“Perfect.  I need one other person.”   
Brian, Emma’s new screw, said, “I’ll go.”  All eyes turned to him.  “You need barbed wire, right?  I’ve worked construction.  I even worked with Abraham.”  Abraham nodded at this, and he continued, “We can take a few supplies in one of the cars.  We’ll take some bolt cutters to get in, get a bunch of rolls of barbed wire and gloves to work with it, and get out.  It will take 2 hours at the most.”   
Abraham scratched his chin thoughtfully and said, “I don’t know if I like Tiny going out there…”   
“Abraham,” Angel told him, “please don’t make me kick your ass to prove a point.  I am going.  Brian will come with.  Harold draw us a map of how to get there and the layout of the store.  It’s settled, there is no discussion.  I’m getting my weapons, and we need to arm Brian, too.”  She turned and headed back to the house.

 

Angel grabbed her bow and her bolts.  She put a few knives in her boots, one on her hip, and put her slingshot in her pocket.  

 

Brian went to go say goodbye to Emma.  She came in from the fields when she saw him.  “What’s going on, Bri?”  He gave her a smile and told her about heading to Home Depot with Angel.  “You got the balls to take care of her?  Just push her into a herd or something.”  Brian  didn’t know why she hated Angel so much, but Emma was giving him blow jobs every night.  He could get rid of one stupid girl for her.

 

Abraham stopped Angel on her way to the car.  “Look,” he began, “I know I can’t stop you and I won’t try.  Just be real careful.  I’m not sure if I trust that Brian guy.  When Daryl finds out I let you go he’s gonna kick my ass anyway.”   
“I’ll be back before Daryl.  He’s out hunting today.  Don’t worry, I’ll be careful.  Stay here and take care of Rosita and everyone.  I’ll be back in an hour or two, tops.  Maybe even sooner.”  She loaded up with Brian, got the map and floor plan from Harold, and they were off.

 

“Okay, so according to the floor plan, the barbed wire will be with the lumber, and that’s at the back of the building,” Angel said.

“We could circle around the building,” Brian suggested.  “There probably an exit in the back to load up big shit like that.  We could go around the building once and look for those things and a good exit instead of going in the front.”

 

They got closer and both started to get nervous.  This was in a VERY populated area, right near a community college and it was an anchor store in a shopping center.  Angel was pissed.  “Son of a bitch!” she shouted.  Brian said, “Well, let’s drive around to the rear anyway.  We came all this way, we should at least check it out.”

 

They drove around the building once in a complete circle.  All the doors were indeed locked with heavy chains and padlocks, and there was a surprising lack of walkers.   There were only a few.  Angel supposed they had wandered off in search of food.  They pulled up to a service door in the back, and Angel cut the chain to one of the doors.  They hustled in quietly and closed it behind them.  Brian started to walk down an aisle, and Angel hissed, “What are you doing?  We have to make sure those things aren’t in here!”   
“But the doors were locked from the outside.”   
“So?  They make have locked some of those things in here to get away!”   
As if on cue, a walker rounded the corner, dressed in a tattered Home Depot smock.  Angel very calmly loaded her bow while Brian pulled out his gun.  “Put it away, I got this,” she told him.  She pulled back her bow, aimed, and let the arrow fly, and it landed dead center in the walker’s head.  “Wow,” Brian muttered.  “Nice shot.”  She walked past him and yanked the arrow out of the walker.     
“I hope that gun has a silencer on it?”   
“Yeah it does.”   
“Good.  Stay behind me, and stay quiet, ok?”   
They tiptoed down the aisle and as they rounded it, there were two more.  Brian cocked his gun, and Angel rolled her eyes.  “Put it away, Rambo.  Look at how slow and decomposed these things are.  They can barely shamble after us.  No point in wasting bullets.”  She simply walked up to one and put a knife through it’s head, and kicked in the knees of the other and it fell to the ground, moaning.  She lifted up her boot and smashed it’s head in.  Turning to Brian, she said, “I really hope you’re taking notes.  This isn’t rocket science.”  They saw an office door, and Angel pounded on it.  She heard moaning and pounding on the door in response.  Turning to Brian, she said, “I don’t think we need to open that door!”   
“Won’t they come out?”   
“The door opens inward, so no.  They don’t seem to have enough sense to turn a knob.”

 

They found the rolls of barbed wire and the gloves.  They each put on a pair and pushed the rolls over to the door, along with several pairs of gloves.  Angel grabbed some nail and staple guns as well as the nails and staples they needed, and stuck a pair of wire cutters in her back pocket.  Brian grabbed some regular hammers and boxes of assorted nails. She had no idea that he was plotting against her.

 

“Why don’t we load this up,” Brian said, “then make one final sweep of the store in case we see anything else we need.”    
“Sounds good.”

They put everything in the trunk without incident, although they noticed that more walkers were heading for the store.  They walked through and grabbed a few more odds and ends.  Brian went over to the office door and said, “You can still hear them in there.”   
“Yeah, they might quiet down when we leave, I -HEY!”   
Before she could react, Brian opened the office door and shoved her inside.  She fell flat on her face, and he managed to jam a random key in the lock and break it off before slamming the door.  She was trapped in the small room with three very pissed off walkers. Dropping her bow and bolts, she pulled her knife and dispatched them quickly.  There was a window, but there were bars on it.  She watched as the car pulled out around the front of the building.     
  
Brian took a chance shoving her in there.  He knew she’d be able to turn around and get out, but breaking the key off in the lock would at least slow her down.  He drove around to the front.  Sure enough, their arrival just 20 minutes ago had started to bring those things out of the woodwork.  Using the bolt cutters, he cut the chains off the front doors and opened them wide.  He took the silencer off his gun and shot it in the air a few times to draw them in, then hopped in his car and beeped the horn as well before getting the hell out of there and heading back to Alexandria.  He would call her a hero, say she had sacrificed herself to a herd so he could get away.   If they ever saw her again, she would be a walker.  Brian smiled.  Emma would be so happy.

 

Angel knew she was in trouble.  Brian must have opened the main doors and let those things in.  She could hear them shuffling into the building.  The door was stuck, she saw the bastard break a key off in it, but it wouldn’t hold forever.  She had to get out of there, but how?  Even if she managed to break down the door, the noise would draw those things.  The security bars kept her from going out the window.  Dammit.   _ ‘This is NOT how I fucking die!’  _  she told herself.   _ ‘Think, girl, think.  There’s gotta be a way…..’ _

She rolled her eyes in frustration, and that’s when she saw it.  The vent for the heating and cooling system.  Maybe she could crawl through and find another way out.  In the back of her mind, she KNEW that Daryl would come looking for her, no matter what anyone said.  But she also knew she couldn’t afford to wait.  Those things were pounding on the door.  She pulled the desk under the vent, then pulled the pilfered wire cutters out of her back pocket.  She cut off the cover and was about to climb up when she got an idea.   Jumping off the desk, she searched through the drawers and found a black marker.  If Daryl came, she wanted him to know she was ok and he was on the right track.  On the wall, she drew a capital letter “A” with an arrow pointing upward.  Then she stuck the marker in her pocket, shimmied up into the vent, and started crawling through.

 

Brian stopped a few miles from Alexandria.  He tore at his clothes, and got out of the car and did jumping jacks and running in place until he was out of breath and sweating.  Then he got back in the car and floored it to the gates.     
  
Angel was NOT enjoying her time in the vents.  She wasn’t claustrophobic per se, but she still didn’t like being in the damn vents.  Not to mention they were dusty as fuck and full of spiders, yuck.  It was like going through a maze.  She was trying to find the outside exhaust, there had to be one….

 

Daryl had managed to bag a deer practically first thing out there.  He gutted it in the woods and had just gotten Spencer to open the gate and let him in, when he heard a car coming.  He turned around and that guy pulled in….Bradley was it?  No, Brian.  Emma’s boyfriend.  The guy got out and a bunch of people ran over and started firing questions at him.  He figured he’d just come back from some kind of run.  It didn’t concern him until he heard Abraham boom out, “Where’s Tiny?”  That interested him damn quick.  He dropped the deer on someone’s lawn and ran over, asking, “Did something happen to Angel?”  Brian looked terrified, and said, “They got her!  There was  herd!  We had just loaded the car and were making a final sweep of the store, and this herd just swarmed in!  We ran and she didn’t make it!  I’m so sorry!”  Emma came running and threw herself at Brian, saying, “Oh baby!  I’m so glad you’re ok!”     
Daryl threw Emma off Brian, and grabbed him by the neck.  He said quietly, “Where is she?”   
“They got her!  I just told you!”   
“I said where the fuck is she!” he yelled as he tightened his hand around his throat.  

Rick intervened, telling Daryl, “Alright brother, calm down…”   
“Angel ain’t dead!  He’s lyin’!  She’s way too smart.  There’s no way a whole herd snuck up on her.  That girl’s got hearin’ you wouldn’t believe.  She’s outrun those things before!  SHE AIN’T DEAD!”   
“Alright brother, calm down!  We’ll go look for her.  Where did they go?” Rick asked.  Harold told them about the Home Depot, telling Rick, “I feel responsible.  I told them about it.  Hell, I drew her a map to get them there and a floor plan of the store.  If anything happened to Doc, I’ll never forgive myself.”   
Harold drew them another map.  Daryl hopped on his motorcycle, and Rick followed in another car.  It wasn’t a long drive, but it wasn’t short enough.   _ ‘Sit tight babygirl,’   _ Daryl thought.   _ ‘I’m comin’ for ya.  Just hang on...’ _


	23. Chapter 23

Angel was crawling through the vents, sweating like crazy.  The unit wasn’t working, but sitting in an aluminum box in the summer was not something she would have chosen.  Every way she went was an outlet into the store, and the store was full of walkers bumbling about.  It was like a big silver maze.  She started making a mark at each intersection just so she could remember which way she went.  Finally, she found an outlet for outside and quietly cut the grate.  She looked out….it was maybe a 10 foot drop, but it seemed like 100.  It was times like this she hated being short.  There was dumpster nearby.  Not close enough for her to land in, but she could toss her bow and arrows in until she got down, minimize the noise. 

She twisted herself so her upper half was hanging out and threw her weapons.  They landed noiselessly on the rotting trash.  Saying a silent prayer to a god she didn’t believe in, she curled her hands around the bottom edge of the vent, and gently somersaulted out.  Hanging for a moment, she let go and fell to the ground.  As soon as she hit, she felt a harsh twinge in her right ankle and collapsed.

_ ‘Of course I would twist my ankle now!’   _ she thought angrily.   _ ‘I couldn’t do it back when I was safe and sound...always doing shit the hard way!’ _

Angel stood and limped over to the dumpster, retrieving her bow and arrows.  Hobbling over to the wall, she marked it with a capital “A”.  Peeking around the side of the building, she saw a dozen of those things coming down the highway.  It was like a damn walker pride parade.  She would have to go through the woods, at least for awhile, to stay away from those things.  Under her mark on the wall, she wrote “woods”, and hobbled off past the tree line without further incident.

 

Daryl and Rick raced to the Home Depot in Stirling at high speed.  They didn’t see her walking down the highway on the way, which made Rick nervous.  Even if Brian had been telling the truth, which he highly doubted, he knew Daryl wouldn’t rest until he had proof.  And if she was indeed gone, Daryl would probably lose it.  It was obvious he was in love with Angel, and it was obvious she felt the same way.  Daryl had already lost his brother.  He didn’t need to lose her, too.

 

Daryl was sweating bullets.  He HAD to find Angel.  He couldn’t lose her.  He refused to even think she’d been killed, or even worse, turned.  She was too smart for that.  Too tough.   _ ‘Please, babygirl.  Please.  Just be ok.  I can’t live without ya.  Just hang on, I’m comin’.....’ _

 

Angel was doing her best to try and navigate her way through the woods.  It was so very hot and she had neither food nor water.  She had to stay away from the highway, that she was sure of, but she wasn’t 100% sure if she was going the right way.  It was true that her father had taught her to navigate by the stars, but it was daylight now.  She limped along.  If Daryl came, she knew he’d be able to track her.  But as far as she knew, Daryl was still hunting.  Then the doubt crept in: what if he believed whatever lie Brian would undoubtedly spin?  He’d probably say that she was dead or bit or turned.  What if he didn’t come?  No matter, she was still going back.  That place was her home, and whether or not Daryl or anybody else came, she had to get back.  Angel pressed on through the heat, limping all the way.

 

Daryl and Rick rolled up on the store.  It was full of walkers, that was true.  They could see the chain that had been cut off the front door laying on the ground.  Rick pulled up the car next to Daryl and said, “There’s no way we’re getting in there.”   
“We gotta!  What if she’s trapped?”   
“Daryl, we can’t.  I know you care about her.  We all do.  But there is no way in.”

“Let me drive around.  Maybe there’s a back door or a fire escape.  Somethin’.”   
“Alright, be careful.”   
Daryl started driving around the building looking for something, ANYTHING, that would show she was okay.  He would never believe that those things got her.  Never.  Rounding the back of the building, he saw something on the wall.  At first he thought it was just random graffiti.  After the outbreak, people left messages for family members on buildings and billboards, and at first glance, he dismissed it as such.  But he did a double take, and rolled closer.  In black marker, someone had drawn a capital letter “A” and underneath it the word “woods”.  This wasn’t old graffiti, this was new.  And he knew in his heart that it was a message from Angel. He sped around to the front. 

“Rick!  She’s hiking back through the woods!”  He told Rick about the mark on the wall.  Rick asked him, “Are you absolutely sure it’s from her?”   
“I’d bet my life on it.”   
“Then let’s go find her.”

 

Angel stopped near a clearing to rest against a tree, cursing herself for not bringing water.  She was really sweating, and afraid she would get dehydrated.  Maybe she should wait for an hour and see if anyone came for her.  Then she could rest and maybe regain her strength.  But if no one came, she’d be wasting daylight.  And with her twisted ankle, she couldn’t shimmy up a tree if she needed to.  Crap.  The sound of a dragging footfall made her decision.  She turned to the tree and used her knife to make a mark in it.  She carved the letter “A” with an arrow pointing in the direction she was going.  The walker she had heard entered the clearing she was in, so she threw her knife at it’s skull and dropped him.  She yanked out her knife, put it back on her belt, and pulled out her marker.  Smiling she drew a large “A” on it’s forehead.  A message for Daryl, and a warning to anyone else.  She walked on.

 

Hiding the car and Daryl’s motorcycle took longer than anticipated.   They took the little bit of food, water, and ammo they had packed and set off, Daryl in the lead.  The day was hot and stifling, and they were both sweating.  It wasn’t long before Daryl crouched down.  “You find something?”  Rick asked.

“Yeah.  She’s been through here...and she’s hurt.”   
“How can you tell?”   
“See these prints right here?  Here’s her left foot, and it’s okay.  But this is her right.  It ain’t a full print.  She’s limping, trying to not put weight on it.  But she’s alive.  I KNEW it!  That’s ma girl!” he said proudly.  “She’s leavin’ a trail for us.  She knew I’d come lookin’ for her.”  

They continued on slowly.

 

Angel knew it would be dark soon, and the sky was getting overcast.  She had marked two other trees along her path, and knew she would have to find shelter soon and hunker down for the night.  There was no way she could rest out in the open.  She had nothing to rig an alarm with, and she couldn’t get up into a tree with her hurt ankle….it was starting to swell even though she was trying to avoid walking on it.  She was praying that it didn’t rain.  Daryl was a good tracker, but if it rained, he wouldn’t be able to find her…..if he was looking at all.

 

Rick looked up at the setting sun, just as Daryl found another tree with the letter “A” carved it in and an arrow.  That was two so far, and the first one had a dead walker with an “A” also drawn across its forehead.  Daryl turned and said, “We’re on the right track.  And with her moving slow, we may be able to catch up with her.”  Rick hoped so.  It would be dark soon, and it looked like the weather was about to turn.

 

The first few droplets landed on Angel’s head.  She looked up at the sky and said, “Oh shit!” as a downpour started.  This was just great.  She was lost, hurt, hungry, and had no shelter.  Fucksticks.  This was not a good day.  She kept going through the rain, she had no choice, trying to mark a tree with just an “A” every 100 yards or so.  The one good thing was that the rain seemed to confuse walkers.  The didn’t know what to make of the sound of rainfall, and it washed away any smells of the living.  Unfortunately, it also washed away any kind of tracks.   _ ‘Please be looking for me, Daryl,’   _ she thought.   _ ‘Please find me.’ _

 

Daryl found another tree with a mark from Angel just as the downpour started.  He and Rick looked at each other, both knowing this would hinder their search.  Daryl told Rick, “Ya can go back if ya want.  I ain’t goin’ home without her.”   
“Are you sure it’s her leaving the marks?”   
“Already told ya, I’d bet my life on it.  She’s alive and she’s hurt.  I gotta find her.”   
“Then I’m gonna help.”

 

It was so damn dark, and Angel had no flashlight.  She was walking through the woods, practically feeling her way from tree to tree.  Coming to a clearing, she tried to look up at the sky to see if she could navigate, but the stars were blocked out by the rain clouds.  Double fucksticks.  At this point, she wasn’t even sure if she was going the right way.  She tilted her head back to get a drink of rainwater, and then kept walking.  She was gonna kill that Brian guy, no doubt about it.  If she ever made it back…  

Limping along, she saw something and couldn’t believe her eyes.  She thought for sure she was imagining things.  It was some kind of structure, kind of hard to see through all the rain.  She hustled over and checked it out.  It was some kind of little shack or cabin.  No more than one room, but she didn’t care.  The door had a padlock on it, way too big for her little wire cutters, so she searched around as well as she could in the dark until she found a big enough rock to break it with.  Actually, she tripped over it.  With her bad ankle.  This was just a shitty day, for the most part.  Picking up the large rock, she slammed it down on the lock, and it broke on the second try.  Pulling out her knife, she listened at the door for the telltale sounds of walkers, but it was silent,  so she opened the door.  A sliver of moonlight broke through the clouds for a moment, and she saw the little place had a fireplace.  And firewood!  She spied a box of long fireplace matches on the mantel, made her way over and lit one.  Now she could finally see.  She closed the door and looked around.  Hanging on a hook was a lantern, and she hustled over to it.  It still had a bit of oil, so she lit it and looked around.  There was a thick layer of dust on everything.  She found an old overturned pot near the fireplace.  Wiping it out with the tail of her shirt, she stuck it outside to catch the rainwater so she would have something to drink.  There was a threadbare wingback chair that had seen better days, and she pushed it up against the door, then got a fire going in the fireplace.  She checked the few cabinets, but there was no food.  Dammit.  But at least she had shelter and heat, and she would have some drinking water soon.  She huddled in front of the fire and waited.  Tomorrow she would head out again, and she would mark the door before she left.  She considered marking it now, but figured even if Daryl had come looking for her, he’d probably stopped with the rain.  Damn, she already missed him.

 

Daryl clicked on his flashlight and scanned the trees.  Yep, there was another line.  Damn that girl was tough.  She had no food or water, no light source, and though he remembered her saying she could navigate by the stars, the clouds were covering them up.  When the moon came out briefly, he hoped that it helped her some.   _ ‘Dammit girl, where the hell are ya?’   _ he thought to himself.  What if someone got her, like when they found her?  No. No way.  She was too smart for that, and he refused to even consider it.  Rick spoke, bringing him out of his thoughts.  “We gotta find shelter for the night, Daryl.  I know you wanna find her, I do, too.  But we need to get out of this downpour.”

“Yeah, we’ll keep movin’ until we find somethin’.  Maybe a lean-to or some scrap wood to make one….”  He stopped speaking because he was sure he smelled a fire.  “Rick, you smell that?”   
“Yeah.  Someone’s got a fire going somewhere close by.”   
“It could be her…”  They followed the smell as best they could….

 

Angel was sitting on the floor by the fire, warming up.  She kept nodding off, but would shake herself awake.  She wanted to get some water in her before she slept, she was so damn thirsty.  She would be able to drink her fill, and then put the pot back out to catch more for the morning.  Suddenly, she felt that someone was near.  She shot wide awake.  Someone was coming, she could feel it.  Peeking through a crack in the door, she saw two figures slowly approaching the shack.   _ ‘Ohfuckohfuckohfuck….’   _ she thought, and quickly put out the lantern.  Unfortunately, she couldn’t put out the fire in the fireplace.  Crouching in the far corner, she placed an arrow into her bow, and aimed for the door….

 

Rick and Daryl came upon the little shack.  Seeing the smoke coming out of the tiny chimney, they knew this was where the smoke they had smelled was coming from.  They could see light from the lopsided square doorway, before it suddenly went dim.  Rick whispered, “What if it ain’t her?”   
“We gotta check.  Even if it ain’t, we can ask whoever’s in there if they seen her, see if maybe we can stay.”   
“There’s no mark on the door, Daryl.”   
“I know.  But I gotta check.  Hang back just in case…”

Daryl approached the door and knocked softly…

  
There was a knock.   _ ‘Ohshitohshitohshit….’ _  Angel sure as fuck wasn’t gonna answer it!  Oh HELL no.  She pulled back the arrow….   
  
Someone was in there, dammit.  Daryl was determined to find out who the hell it was and if they’d seen Angel...or if they had her.  He turned the knob on the door and pushed.  Something was blocking it so he pushed harder….   
  
Someone was opening the door.  This was it.  Sweat was beading on her forehead, and her heart was beating out of her chest.  Her arms were shaking from keeping the bow pulled tight.  The door finally swung open and she let her arrow fly….. 


	24. Chapter 24

Angel’s arrow flew over the intruder’s head.  He was crouched down, just in case, and it saved his life.  It sailed over his head, just barely, and landed in the door frame with a thunk.  All Angel could see in the shadows was that she fucking missed.  She cried aloud, “Oh fuck!” and was loading another arrow, when she heard a familiar voice say, “Angel?”  Her head snapped up from looking at her bow as she frantically tried to hook her next arrow.  Snapping it into place, she wasn’t sure if she was imagining things.  She aimed at whoever it was and said, “Step forward slowly with your hands where I can see them, I won’t miss again!”   
The figure raised their hands and stepped forward into the light from the fire, and said, “I know it.  Babygirl, it’s me.”  For a moment she just stood frozen.  It was Daryl.  It was really him.  Quietly, she asked, “Daryl?”

“It’s me, sweetheart.  Can you put the bow down?”

Angel lowered the bow, then dropped it to the floor.   Limping over, she threw her arms around him.  He held her tight, and yelled over his shoulder, “Rick!  It’s her! She’s okay!”  When Rick entered, Angel limped over and hugged him quickly, then went back to Daryl.

 

Daryl couldn’t believe someone shot at him, but he was damn glad they missed...although it wasn’t by much.  He heard a girl’s voice cry out, “Oh fuck!”  He’d heard that phrase before, and in that voice...although it was usually because he was balls deep into the person who said it.  Looking over to where the arrow had come from, he saw her.  It was Angel!  He said her name and she looked so shocked, she obviously didn’t believe her own ears.  But here she was in his arms.

 

“Oh Daryl!  I knew it!  I knew you’d come looking!  I knew you’d find me!” she was still squeezing him.

“How could I not, babygirl?  Ya left messages, I KNEW they were from ya.  That bastard tried to tell us ya were dead, but I KNEW.  I just KNEW.”  

He couldn’t stop touching and kissing her beautiful face.  

Angel went to take a step, forgetting about her ankle and winced.  Rick pulled the chair away from the now closed door so she could sit down, and told her, “Before the rain started, Daryl saw your tracks and was sure you were hurt.  What happened?”

Taking a deep breath, Angel said, “I’ll tell you the whole story, but can someone bring in the pot I put outside?  It was catching rain water.  I haven’t had anything to drink all day.”  Daryl immediately pulled a bottle of water out of his backpack and gave it to her.  “Ya hungry too, Angel?  We brought some food…”

Rick relit the lantern and they took a break to eat and drink.  The guys refilled their bottles from the pot, and then put it back out to catch more water.   
She told them everything: from Brian offering to go with her, to throwing her in the office with walkers.  About how she crawled through the vents, and twisted her ankle when she fell.  How she left messages for Daryl along the trees and happened upon the cabin after the rain started.  “I’ve only been here….maybe an hour.  I knew you’d come, Daryl.  I didn’t know when, but I knew.  I just couldn’t stay in one place out there and wait, it was too dangerous.”

Daryl couldn’t get over her.  Trapped in an office with three walkers, kills them all, climbs through an AC vent to get out, sprains her ankle, leaves messages for the people searching for her, travels about 7 miles through the woods with an injury…...his Angel was one tough girl.

He looked at her nodding off in the chair - she was one tired girl.  Rick said, “I’ll take first watch”.  She stood up and told him, “Please take the chair, I’ll have a sore back if I sleep in that all night.”  

He and Daryl watched as she curled up in front of the fire like a little kitten.  Daryl wrapped himself around her protectively.  Rick couldn’t help but smile.  The archer and the doctor.  Those two saved each other.

Daryl leaned over and whispered in her ear, “‘Night, Angel,” and kissed her on the cheek, and she snuggled closer against him.   

 

Angel woke up feeling happy and safe.  She reached back for Daryl, but he wasn’t there.  Sitting up and looking around, neither of them were.  She started to panic.  Had it been a dream?  No it couldn’t have been.  Getting to her feet, she hobbled to the door and looked out...nobody.  Scared to be too loud and attract walkers, she called out softly, “D-Daryl?  R-Rick?  Guys?”  Hearing footsteps rounding the cabin, she pulled her knife and stood defensively.  Rick came around, saw her, and asked, “You ok, dear?”

She relaxed her stance.  “Dammit.  Where were you?  Where’s Daryl?” 

“We had to...uh….”   
“Take a piss?”   
Rick chuckled.  “Yeah.  Maybe you can help Daryl, his zipper’s stuck.”   
Angel giggled.  “Alright, be back in a few.”

 

She wandered off past the tree line, treading quietly.  Suddenly, she heard labored breathing, behind a group of trees.  Walking around it, she saw Daryl leaning against a tree, head back, eyes closed, stroking his big beautiful cock.  It was incredibly hot, and she was speechless.  He must have felt her watching because his eyes flew open.  Seeing her, he muttered, “Shit!”  Turning around and stuffing his unit back into his pants, he wouldn’t look at her.  Just quietly said, “M’sorry,” over his shoulder, head down, his voice full of shame.  Angel hobbled over to him, turned him around, and slammed her lips on to him.  To say he was surprised would be an understatement.  She reached down and undid his pants, freeing his cock, and eliciting a soft moan from him.  Pulling her pants down to her knees, she turned, braced herself against a tree, spread her legs as far as she could go (which wasn’t far), and said over her shoulder, “Don’t ever apologize for that, it was hot as fuck.  We don’t have much time, so make it count.”

Daryl mentally wondered again how he’d gotten so damn lucky.  He spit in his hand and used it to lube up his cock, and Angel thought it was filthy and sexy as hell.  Lining his cock up with her exposed pussy, he told her, “Best hang onto that tree, little girl.  This ain’t gonna be gentle.”  Looking back over her shoulder, she told him, “I don’t want gentle.  I want you to fuck me like a whore.”

Holy hell, this girl was gonna be the death of him.  Daryl slammed his cock into her several times, then pulled her upright by her hair, asking her through clenched teeth, “Is that what ya want, ya dirty little whore?”

Angel laughed and said, “Is that the best you got? Fuck me HARD, dammit!”

Daryl pushed her so she was bent over again, and started ramming her like a freight train.  He looked down and watched her tiny little pussy being stretched by him, and she was gasping, “Yes, yes, yes,” with every thrust.  He took one of his hands off her hip and gently slapped her ass.  Angel hissed out, “Harder!”  Daryl obliged, slapping those perfect ass cheeks of hers several times, leaving angry red handprints.   
She arched her back, pushing her pussy out to him, and then brought her ankles together.  He hadn’t thought she could get any tighter until that moment.  Thrusting into her, he managed to tell her, “Gonna cum soon, girl…”   
“Just a little more…”

He felt her flutter around him as her orgasm hit.  Daryl grabbed her around her waist, knowing her legs would give out, and even through his impending orgasm, he didn’t want her to hurt her ankle even more.

Angel threw back her head and let out the most primal orgasmic howl he’d ever heard, and literally splashed his thighs with her cum.  He thrust into her a few more times, as she let out animalistic growls and continued to thrash.  He literally lifted her off of her feet with his cock as he pumped his cum inside her, groaning out his release as well.  They both knew they should be quiet, there could be walkers nearby, but they needed it.  

Daryl helped Angel stand upright, his cock still inside of her, and they both leaned against the tree panting heavily.  He pushed her hair out of the way, and placed several kisses along her neck and shoulder before sliding his cock out of her.  She shifted to pull away, but he whispered, “Not yet.  Need ya close for a few more minutes.  Can’t let go right now.  Just...can’t.”  He was practically pleading.   
“Okay baby, “ Angel told him.  “I’m here.”   
After a few minutes, he slowly reached down and pulled her panties and jeans back up.  She turned as he was doing the same for himself.  He wouldn’t meet her eyes.  He started to lead them out of the trees, but she stopped him.

“Daryl, stop.  What’s going on?”   
“Nothin’.”   
“Bullshit.  You won’t even look at me.  Why?”

  
Rick could see them from where he was sitting behind the cabin.  He had heard their moans from way over here….and it sounded like things were, well, good.  But now it looked like they were arguing.  They would have to leave soon, it was a long walk back to the vehicles, but for now, he could give them their space.   
  
“Dammit, Daryl Dixon!   Fucking look at me!”   
He looked up from under his shaggy bangs.   
“Daryl,” Angel tried again, “did *I* do something to upset you or hurt you?”   
“No.”   
“Then TALK to me.  I can’t read your mind.”

Daryl took a breath.  “I called ya a whore, I hit ya.  That weren’t right.”   
Angel heaved a sigh.  “Really?  That’s what’s bothering you?”   
Daryl only nodded.   
“Daryl, let me ask you this: did you like it?”   
“Don’t matter.”   
“Yes, it DOES matter.  Because I fucking liked it.”  She crossed her arms.

“Ya did?”   
“Yep.”   
Did he dare admit it?  Why the fuck not, she did.  “Yeah, I kinda liked it, too.  I don’t really think of ya like a whore….”   
“I know.”   
“It was kinda wild, huh?” he asked, a smile playing at his lips.   
“Yeah, it was.  It was amazing,” she put her arms around him.  “It’s always amazing with you.  How did I get so lucky?”   
“Girl, I ask myself that question every damn day.”  He leaned down and kissed her.   
Angel looked over toward the little shack, seeing Rick leaning against the wall waiting for them.

“We should go.  Rick is definitely gonna know I was doing a lot more than helping with your zipper.”   
“Sorry, I just couldn’t be with ya last night with him there and ya hurt ankle.  I needed to do somethin’.....”

 

Daryl took her hand and walked back to the cabin.


	25. Chapter 25

Back at Alexandria, Emma was freaking out.   
“Is she dead or isn’t she?” she yelled at Brian.   
“I’m pretty sure she is…”   
“‘Pretty sure’?  That’s not good enough!”

“Look I threw her in a locked office with three walkers, then opened the front doors and drew those things in!  The only way out was through that door!  The window had bars on it!  She couldn’t have made it out without getting bit and turned or torn apart!”

“Then why is Daryl so sure she’s still alive?”   
“Who the fuck cares what that redneck thinks?  Why do you care?  You’re my girlfriend!”

“Not anymore I’m not.  If she’s dead, like you keep saying, Daryl is mine.  It’s been fun, but now you can go fuck yourself.”   
And with that, Emma walked out.  Brian was right, that bitch was dead.  Now Daryl would be all hers.

 

Daryl and Angel walked up to Rick who was standing against the wall of the cabin.  Smiling at the two disheveled people, he asked, “Manage to fix that zipper?”   
“Oh yeah,” Angel said.  “It took some maneuvering...it was really stuck.”   
“So I heard….”

He was amused at their red faces.

 

They hiked back to the vehicles, using Angel’s markers as their guide.  “That was damn smart of ya,” Daryl told her.  “‘Specially when it started rainin’.  I couldn’t pick up ya trail, but I could follow ya markers.”  It made Angel happy to hear how proud of her he was. 

“I didn’t want to put my name, just in case.  But I figured if I put my initial and an arrow, you’d know it was me.  Or at least, I hoped so.”

 

Getting back to the vehicles and uncovering them, Daryl stopped Angel from getting into the car.  “Ya ridin’ with me.”   
“I can’t.  My ankle needs to be elevated.  In the car I can slide the seat back and put it on the dash.”

Daryl didn’t want to be apart from her, but he knew she was right.  She put her arms around him, saying, “Baby, we will be right behind you.  It’s just over a 30 minute drive.  And I’m with Rick, you know I’ll be ok.”  Rick interjected, “I promise to be extra careful with her in the car.”   
Daryl conceded, “Ok, but I want ya to wear ya seatbelt girl, got it?”   
“Yes sir.”   
Getting into the car and buckling up she told Rick, “I have to wear a seatbelt, but he won’t wear a helmet,” and Rick just chuckled. 

Daryl led the way back to town, keeping them in his side view mirrors all the way.  Getting back, Spencer opened the gates, hollering, “They’re back!  They found her!”  

Hearing that, people came running, including Emma and Brian.  She hissed at him, “You said she was dead!”   
“I thought she was!”

 

Rosita nearly knocked her over running up to hug her.  “We were so worried about you!”  Abraham picked her up in a big bear hug, telling her, “Damn, Tiny!  Thought we lost you!”  Angel was surprised at the outpouring of support.  Her eyes caught Brian’s, and he started to back away, but Abraham stopped him, blocking his path with his big body.  He told him, “Looks like Tiny’s got something to say to you.”   
Brian decided to play dumb.  “I’m so glad you’re ok!  When you tripped and fell into the office, I guess I just panicked and left….”

Angel just stared at him for a minute.  Then without further ado, she pulled back her little fist and socked him square in the jaw.  Brian slumped to the ground, out cold.  “That’s for locking me into a room with walkers, you asshole!” she shouted.  Emma came running up screaming, “You can’t do that to him!”  Angel looked at her  and coldly said, “Want to be next?”  Emma looked around, waiting for someone to come to her defense, but nobody did.    
“You can’t just accuse him of something!  He didn’t do anything to you!”  Emma screamed.   
“You weren’t even there, you stupid tramp!” Angel shot back.

“What did you call me?”   
“You heard me!  Or do you hear about as well as you put on your makeup?”

Suddenly Deanna yelled over both of them, “That’s enough, ladies!  Emma, this doesn’t concern you.”  Brian began to stir and Deanna told Emma, “Help him up and take him home.  Angel, if you are up to it, I’d like to interview you about what happened.”   
“Yeah, sure.”

Daryl interjected, “Ya need ta rest.”   
“I will, baby.  But I need to do this.  The sooner the better.”

 

Ten minutes later, Angel was lying on Deanna’s couch, her foot propped up on some pillows, and Daryl waiting outside.  Deanna could see that her ankle was indeed swollen, and she looked exhausted and a little worse for the wear.   
“Would you like some water before we begin?” Deanna asked politely.

“Nah, I’m good.  Let’s just get this show on the road so I can go home and soak in a nice hot bath.”

Deanna set up the video camera, and Angel went through everything from the beginning.  When she was done, Deanna asked her to go through it again.  Angel couldn’t understand why, but she went through it a second time.  Deanna was looking for any inconsistencies in her story, but there were none.  The doctor was not lying.  Finishing with her interview, Deanna helped her off the couch and was walking her to the front door.  Angel told her, “Look, I know you need to make a decision.  I won’t go against it.  But if he gets to stay, I think I’ll leave.  I don’t want to leave you without a doctor, but I will never feel safe.”   
Deanna looked at her for a moment.  “I will take that into consideration.”

She opened the door, and Daryl stood up to help her.   
  


Angel was trying to hop down Deanna’s porch one step at a time.  Finally, Daryl just swept her up in his arms.  “Daryl!  Put me down!”   
“Nope.”   
“Daryl, I can walk!”   
“Ya too damn slow woman,” he told her with a smile. “Ain’t got all day ta wait for ya crippled ass ta get home.”   _ ‘Home,’   _ he thought to himself.   _ ‘OUR home.’ _  He liked the way that sounded.

“Oh for heaven’s sake, people are staring!” 

It was true, they were.  Staring and smiling.  It was obvious that the gruff redneck cared deeply for the petite doctor.

“They’re staring at the crip girl,” he told her.

“Oh fuck you!”   
He gave her a devilish look, and whispered, “Maybe later.  If ya behave.”

 

Getting her upstairs was easy.  Helping her get off her boots, socks, and pants was not.  Her swollen ankle was so painful.  Daryl tried to remain calm, but had to refrain from going after Brian and punching him until he didn’t resemble a human anymore.  If she hadn’t had to crawl through and jump out of a damn vent, and then hike through the woods, she wouldn’t be hurt.  “Um, Angel?” he asked as he gently took off her socks.   
“Yeah?” she winced.

“What we did in the woods….” he paused and looked up to see a smile forming on her face. “Did that hurt ya ankle more?  I mean, I was kinda rough…”   
“Baby….no, not at all.  I kept most of my weight on my good foot, and the tree kept me balanced.  And I wouldn’t have traded that for anything.”  He was so relieved.  He went back to helping her get undressed.

Once she was stripped down to her panties, he carried her into the bathroom so she could start a bath.  Their McMansion came complete with a large jacuzzi tub, of course, and though Angel was partial to showers, she figured the hot water and jacuzzi jets would do her a world of good.  As the large tub filled, she asked, “Care to join me?”   
“Hell yeah.” 

Daryl watched as Angel pinned her hair up on top of her head, and took off her bra and panties, then he gently helped her into the big tub.  She moaned loudly, saying, “My god, this feels heavenly!”

He undressed and lowered himself in behind her.  It *was* pretty relaxing, he had to admit.  Angel scooted back between his legs.  They could have still fit another person in there.  The bubbles churned and they sat together in the hot water in comfortable silence. 

Daryl grabbed a washcloth and used it to squeeze the hot water onto her neck and shoulders.

“Mmmm….that feels nice…” she whispered.   
“Good.  Ya deserve to relax.”

“So do you, you know.”   
“Yeah, but I ain’t one for bubble baths.”

“This isn’t a bubble bath.”   
“Sure it is.  It’s got bubbles.” she could hear the smile in his voice.   
“Asshole.”   
“Yeah, but ya like me that way.”   
She smiled at him over her shoulder.  “You’re lucky I do.”   
“Believe me, I know it.”

Angel leaned back against his chest and he wrapped his arms around her.

Daryl finally spoke.  “So ya were working in a hospital when all of this happened?”   
“Yep.”   
“Ya must run damn fast.”

Angel laughed.  “No, I wasn’t at work when it happened.  Didn’t I tell you this story?”   
“No.”   
“Want to hear it?”   
“Yeah.”

 

“What happened was that I was out and off the grid, as luck would have it.  I had been working 16 to 18 hour shifts every day for about two weeks.  I hadn’t even been home.  I was sleeping and showering in the doctor’s lounge.  I was completely exhausted.  Didn’t even know what day it was.  My boss is the one who told me to take a long weekend.  He insisted, said he didn’t want me to burn out or have a heart attack.  Sent me home early Thursday.  Told me to, and I quote, ‘get some god damn sleep because you look like shit’.”   
“Heh.  I like that guy!”   
“Yeah, Dr. Parker didn’t mince words.  I was not to come back until Tuesday afternoon, doctor’s orders!  One of the nurses who was a friend of mine and knew a little about my past, told me I should go camping and fishing and maybe do a bit of hunting, like when I was a kid.  So I went home Thursday morning and slept all day and night, then left Friday.  I decided to go way up in the mountains, this little secret place my dad used to take me, up where there’s no cell reception or anything, and that’s what I did.  Took my bow and my fishing rod, a tent and a sleeping bag,  and off I went.  I tell you, it was actually really nice to get away.  Did a bit of fishing and bagged a rabbit.  It was pretty peaceful.  I had noticed a few helicopters going by, but I lived in the hood...we always had helicopters.  That was nothing new, so I didn’t even think twice.  Until Monday came.”

Daryl was stroking her arms gently.  “What happened on Monday?”   
“Well, Monday I had some breakfast and packed up the car…”   
“Herbie?”   
“Yeah, how did you know that?”   
“Heard ya talkin’ at the party that one night.”

“Eavesdropper.  Anyway, yeah.  Packed up Herbie, and headed for Atlanta.  Once I finally got into range, my cell phone just blew up.  I had to pull over to check everything.  I had dozens of texts and voicemails.  I had expected a few, but nothing like this.  The first ones were from people telling me to come in.  Even my boss, the guy who insisted I take the vacation, had left me voicemails begging me to come in.  Texts saying they were swamped.  Some big viral outbreak seemed to be happening.  They needed all hands on deck.  But my last messages came on Sunday night.  Now they were telling me to stay away.  Whatever it was that people were getting sick with, it was uncontained and spreading like wildfire.  One of the last messages said that they were getting ready to seal off the city to try and contain it, and that I should get as far away as I could.”

“You didn’t, did you?”   
“Oh hell no.  I rarely do what I’m told.  This water’s getting cold, we should get out.”   
They got out and dried off, then Daryl carefully wrapped Angel’s ankle with an Ace bandage that Rosita had given him, placing a gentle kiss on the top of her foot.  He carefully helped her get dressed, as clothes brushing against it was somewhat painful, then he brought in the extra pillows from his room that he never slept in, and used them to prop up her feet.  “Need anythin’, babygirl?  Water? Ice for ya ankle?” he asked.  It was incredibly sweet that he was being so attentive.

“No, I’m good.  You’re being awfully sweet, you know that?”   
“Just don’t want ya to hurt yaself more. Rosita says ya need to rest for a week.  No work for ya.”   
“Yes sir.”   
He smiled and gave her a quick kiss.

“Now….where was I?”   
“Ya said they told ya not to come back but ya didn’t listen.”

  
“Yeah.  All I could think of was if this couldn’t be contained, they needed me more than ever.  Doctors would sometimes duck out on shit like that, but that’s not my style.  All I knew was there were sick people needing help.  I drove down the highway as fast as I could.  I could tell this was no ordinary illness.  The road in was empty, and the road out was jammed with cars.  It was a damn parking lot.  Some people had left their cars and were walking.  Right where the highway would go into Atlanta, there was a military roadblock.  The kid manning it couldn’t have been more than 18, maybe 19 at the most.  Nervous as hell, still had pimples on his face, and thin as a rail.  How that wee child ever made it out of boot camp, I’ll never know.  Anyhow, I pull up to the roadblock, and he comes over and tries to tell me I have to leave.  I said no, I needed to get through, and he threatened to remove me from my car physically if need be.”   
“That little fucker said that to ya?”   
“Yep.  And he was a damn private!  So I pulled out my military discharge papers.  I kept them in the car because some places give a military discount.  I showed them to this kid.  I don’t think he saw anything past ‘Sergeant Angela Beecher’, and that’s exactly what I hoped for.  You should have seen that kid snap to attention!  He said, ‘I’m very sorry ma’am, I had no idea!’  So I got out and asked what was going on there.  Poor kid didn’t know much, just that there was some epidemic.  I asked, ‘An epidemic?  Like AIDS or influenza?’  He told me he didn’t know, they didn’t have a name for it.  The only thing he knew was that it traveled fast.  REALLY fast.  I remember him saying, ‘With all due respect ma’am, I don’t know much about what’s happening.  But if I were you, I’d turn that car around, drive, and keep on driving.  If you car runs out of gas or breaks down, get out and walk.  Get as far from Atlanta as you can.’”   
“Well, I told him that wasn’t an option.  That I was a doctor and needed to get in there.  It was my duty to help the sick.  I even showed him my driver’s license.  It’s says M.D. right on it.  He really wanted me to get out of there, to get safe.  But I finally told him that he could either move the roadblock, or I could drive through it.  He said he would move it for me.  I got back in my car, and he turned and started toward the roadblock….”  Angel paused, remembering.

“Ya ain’t gotta say no more,” Daryl told her.   
“No, I think I should get it out.  I haven’t told anyone yet.  Not even Deanna.  She just knows I was alone since it happened.”   
“So this kid turned to go open the roadblock.  And you know how the highway is bordered by all those trees?  Well, one of those things ran out and went straight for him and tore out this kids throat.  I jumped out of my car, and screamed at it, and it came for me.  That’s when I saw it’s face…..it’s eyes.  There was nothing there.  They were kind of a white milky color, and there was just no humanity left.”   
“What did you do?”

“I got my ass back in my damn car!  And I thanked my lucky stars I had rolled my window back up.  I locked all the doors and just sat there for a second while that thing clawed at my window - I guess I was in shock.  And then, oh man, I saw that kid get up.  His throat had been torn out, there was no way he could have survived.  But he got up and looked over at us.  And now his eyes were all fucked up, too.  That was about the time I decided ‘fuck this shit’.  Just as I threw it in reverse, tons of those things came out of the trees in every direction.  They attacked all the people that were walking, and just swarmed the cars.  There were all in gridlock on that side, and some of them tried to drive over the concrete divider onto my side, but didn’t make it.  I had thrown it in reverse, turned around, and was hauling ass out of there.  And some of those things were chasing my car.  They didn’t catch it, but my god.  I drove and drove until I was almost out of gas.  I stole some from a gas station that nobody was at, and then I drove some more.  I just headed north because I didn’t have anywhere else to go.  Herbie only had an AM radio, and I turned it on, but by that time….there was nothing on except static.  I would pull Herbie into abandoned barns to hide at night and sleep inside.  Did that for a few weeks, then he finally broke down, like he always did.  I ended up abandoning him on some back road. I took my weapons and the food and water I had left.  I’d scavenge houses for food, didn’t want to try stores, or just hunt.  I had to leave my fishing rod, but I still had some fishing line.  Usually, I would just crouch in the water and grab one.”   
“You did handfishin’?”   
“Of course I did!  Daryl, I grew up in a trailer after my dad died.  We were just dirty old hillbillies.  I learned how to do whatever I needed so I could eat.  When I found that tree house.  Oh wow, that was just luck.  But that’s what happened.  Maybe I’m just a coward.”   
“Ya ain’t no coward.  Ya one of the bravest girls I ever known.  Goin’ into Atlanta….that woulda been suicide.”   
“I guess.  But sometimes I wonder….are we really the lucky ones?  Or were the ones who got killed and died right away - were they the lucky ones?”   
Daryl thought about that.  She had a point.  He said, “I think that I’m the luckiest guy in the world since I met ya.”  His cheeks turned pink at the admission and he lowered his head.

“Daryl….well you know what?  I think I’ve been pretty damn lucky since I met you, too.”  She rubbed her tired eyes, and Daryl told her, “Ya need ta get some sleep.  We both do.”

He turned out the light.  Since Angel had to sleep on her back to keep her ankle elevated, she couldn’t cuddle up, so Daryl turned and cuddled up to her instead.


	26. Chapter 26

Deanna interviewed Brian right after Angel.  He gave his story, then she had him repeat it.  There were minor inconsistencies, but he looked like he was lying.  He said that she opened the office door and “fell” or “tripped” into the office.  Jumpy and nervous.  In both he said he “panicked and ran”.  He was lying.  She sent Maggie to watch the main gate and called Spencer in to watch the tapes.  After he watched Angel, he said, “That girl is telling the truth.”  Then she played Brain’s tape.  Spencer told her, “That guy is lying his butt off.  The stories are the same until the end.  Why would the doctor go into that office?  There was nothing they needed in there, and he said she’d knocked on the door and confirmed there were walkers inside.  He’s lying.  He tried to get rid of her for some reason.”   
“That’s what I think, too.”   
Spencer went back to the gates and Deanna thought for a while.  She had seen Brian in the company of that Emma girl.  The one who was too lazy to work.  She was aware that Emma had some sort of crush on Daryl, but Daryl was with Angel.  Could Emma have talked Brian into trying to hurt Emma, thinking that she would be able to get Daryl?  Well, she couldn’t really question her, she had no reason.  But they would have to be a community meeting...like the one they had when Pete got drunk and killed Reg….and Deanna told Rick to kill Pete.  Shaking her head, she started to organize and get ready for it.  That WOULD NOT happen again.

 

Angel woke up to Daryl kissing her neck.  “Mmmmm, good morning Daryl,” she whispered.  “‘Mornin’”, he muttered back and kept kissing.  “I sure did miss ya, lady.”   
“I wasn’t even gone for a whole day.”   
“Still missed ya.  Miss ya when ya gone for five minutes...miss the way ya smell….the way ya taste…” he was kissing down her body.

Angel felt a trail of fire following the path his lips made.  He slid back up, and gently kissed her lips.  Nose to nose, he just looked at her for a moment.  “Ya so damn gorgeous, how’d I get so goddamn lucky?”   
She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her lips to his, her tongue sliding into his mouth.  “Daryl, the things you say….”  She already know she was making her panties a mess.  As if he could read her mind, he palmed her over her little panties, his fingers skating across the crotch.     
“Dirty girl, all wet.  Such a bad girl,” he scolded as he pressed two fingers against her.

Angel pressed against his hand.  “Daryl please…”   
“Just relax.  I’mma take real good care of you.  My dirty girl needs ta cum, don’tcha?”

“Yeah…..”   
Daryl slid his hand down the front of her panties.  He didn’t want to risk injuring her ankle more.  

Sliding his fingers past her clit, he instead ran one finger gently along her slit, her breathing becoming heavy and her eyes closing.

Then he slowly slid his middle finger in between her folds, but didn’t quite allow it to penetrate, and gently wiggled it.  He smiled when she tried to push down against it, instead moving his hand away.   
“Daryl, please…”   
“Take off ya shirt, dirty girl.”   
Angel did as she was told, pulling the shirt off and throwing it, not caring where it ended up.  He dipped his head down and took one of her nipples in his mouth, just as he pushed his finger deeply inside of her.

She let out a gasp and a moan.  He added a second finger and she breathed out, “Yes…”   
He pulled his fingers out of her and she pouted.  He brought them to his mouth and slowly licked them clean, then kissed her, pushing the taste into her mouth.

Daryl pulled away, looking at her with darkened eyes, and asked her, “Ya want more, babygirl?”   
“Yes.   Please, fuck me.”   
“No, don’t wanna hurt ya leg, sweetheart.  I’ll get ya off, though….”   
He slid the two fingers in her and pumped them steadily in and out, then started circling his thumb on her clit, sucking on her nipples and kissing her.  He wanted to hear her scream, and he was going to make sure it happened.

Without stopping or missing a beat, he moved next to her and slid his other arm behind her neck. He pressed his hard cock against her hip and  whispered in her ear, “Ya so damn beautiful, ya feel so good, babygirl.  Nice and tight wrapped around me.  Can’t wait for ya ta cum so I can have a taste….”  Curling his fingers, he found her g spot as always.  He looked at her, head thrown back, eyes closed, and her hands rubbing those amazing tits of hers.  He was gonna have to take care of himself in the shower, that was for sure  Pressing against her g spot, he asked, “Ya ready ta cum, bad girl?”

“Yes, please.”   
“Ya really want to, don’tcha?” he said, slightly withdrawing his fingers.

“Yes, please!”

“Are ya my dirty little girl?”   
“Yes!”

“Ya love it when I make ya cum?”   
“Yes!  PLEASE Daryl!”

He decided she’d suffered enough.  He slammed his fingers back inside her and his thumb on her clit sped up.  “Cum for me, baby, scream my name!” he ordered her.   
Angel took a breath and then shattered.  Her back arched up off the bed, and his fingers were clenched in her pussy so tightly, he couldn’t have removed them if he tried.  She let out a string of profanities, shocking him.   
“Oh god!  Oh fuck me, fuck me Daryl!  FUCK ME HARDER, GOD DAMMIT!  OH SHIT, DARYL!  DARYL!!!”  He was unable to move his fingers enough to pump them, so instead he curled and straightened them, and that pushed her right into another orgasm.  Angel was bucking so hard, he was afraid she might hurt herself, but he was fascinated when he felt her release a few spurts of cum along with some animalistic grunts.  

The entire time she was doing this, her hot little body was rubbing against his hard cock.  When she squirted, it caught him off guard.  It was a huge turn on, and combined with everything else, he couldn’t help himself.  He pressed himself tightly to her hip and screamed out, “OH FUCK ANGEL!  OH...OH BABYGIRL!  OH YESSssssss…..” and came inside his pajama pants.

Coming down from her high, Angel’s tight little pussy finally released his fingers.  Bringing them up to his face, he slowly licked one finger, but before he could lick the second, Angel grabbed his hand, and licked the finger clean herself.

Daryl looked at her and gave a small smile, “Woman, ya gonna be the death of me.”   
“But what a way to go, right?” she smiled back.  She started to pull down his pajama pants, intending to give him a hand job, but he grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

“Uh, ‘fraid I gotta mess in my pants….” he said turning pink.     
“I want to feel.”

Daryl paused.  What if she laughed at him?  He hadn’t come on himself since he was a damn kid.  But looking at her, he could see she was curious.  He let go of her wrist.  She slid it down, touching his softening cock, and collecting his cum on her fingers.  Pulling her hand out, she licked her fingers clean, and smiled at him, “Yummy.”   
“Ya killin’ me, girl.”

 

Daryl helped Angel up and they took a shower together.  She couldn’t work for a week, and he was staying in to take care of her - no way was he leaving her alone.  Not as long as Brian was walking around.  He cooked her breakfast, and she was impressed with his skill in the kitchen.  As they finished, there was a knock on the door.  Jessie, Rick’s girlfriend stopped by to drop off some DVD’s, telling them, “Well, since Angel is kind of laid up, I figured it would be something to do.  Otherwise you just stare at the walls.  I mean, you could read books, but this will be a change of pace.”   
Angel was thankful for something to do besides read.  She and Daryl cuddled up on the couch to watch movies, he being mindful and gentle with her ankle, which was just adorable.  Jessie seemed to have a thing for romantic comedies, which was not a favorite genre for either of them, but beggars can’t be choosers.  Halfway through the first movie, there was another knock.  It was Deanna.

“Hello, Doctor Beecher.  Sorry to disturb your rest.  How is your ankle today?” she asked politely.   
“Eh.  Sore and swollen.  I should be fine in a week.  Rosita is taking care of the clinic, and if there’s an emergency, I can step in.”   
“Good, good.  I agree you should rest.  However, I need both of you to come over tonight.”   
“Why?”   
“I’m making a decision about what to do about Brian.  I’ve heard both of your accounts of what has happened…”   
Angel opened her mouth to talk, but Deanna held up her hand, saying, “I am also taking into account what you told me about not feeling safe with him here.  Believe me, I am looking at all the angles, and all penalties.  But the two of you need to be there.  8:00.”   
Angel thought quietly, then said, “Okay, that’s fair.  We’ll be there.”

 

After Deanna left, Daryl asked, “Ya sure ya wanna go?  We ain’t gotta.”   
“Yes we do.  She’s making a decision, and I want to be there.  Because if he’s staying without penalty, I’m leaving.  I’ll never feel safe around him.”

There was yet another knock on the door.   
“Damn Grand Central Station ‘round here,” Daryl muttered.  He opened the door, and it was Rosita.  Smiling brightly, she said, “Look what I found in the storage closet!  Crutches!  Now you can get around!”

Daryl interjected, “She don’t need ta get around.  She got me.”   
Angel said, “I do too need them.  It would be nice if I could use the bathroom on my own or get a drink of water.”

Rosita came in and helped adjust them to Angel’s size, with Daryl grumbling the whole time.  “Oh hush,” Rosita told him.  “You can still carry her upstairs to bed, Rhett Butler.”  While she was there, she checked the wrap job Daryl did and was impressed.  She looked at Angel’s toes and said, “Aw, your polish is chipped.  Mine is, too.  We’ll have to play beauty parlor again when you’re better.”

 

They settled in to watch their movies, and Angel eventually dozed off during one, lying back against Daryl with her ankle propped up on cushions.  Daryl let her sleep, turning off the movie and holding her in the quiet house.  He stroked her hair and thought about what might happen.  Brian wouldn’t be executed, of that he was certain.  But he couldn’t be allowed to stay.  If he did, then Angel would leave...where would she go?  Probably back to her tree house.  Alone.  Maybe he could go with her.  But then he’d have to leave his family.  Could he do that?  He knew she would not make him choose, but her tree house had been a four hour drive plus two hour walk from where they’d stashed their vehicles when they found her.  So a four hour plus drive.  She stirred in her sleep, but didn’t wake.  He dropped his face down into her hair, with that sweet smell….he thought of his life before her.  It reminded him of that scene in the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy opens the door and the sepia tones of Kansas make way for the bright technicolor tones of Munchkinland.  His life had been sepia, and she turned it to color.   Daryl didn’t want her to leave.  Ever.   _ ‘I think I may fuckin’ love her,’   _ he thought to himself.  With his Angel asleep against his chest, he mouthed the words ‘I love you’.  They felt wrong and foreign to him….but at the same time, very right.  This would take practice.  This would take time.

 

Daryl dozed off and on as well, waking her at 7:00 pm.  “Hey babygirl, rise and shine.”  She stirred and mumbled, “Is it morning?”

“Nah, baby, it’s evenin’.  Gotta head over to Deanna’s in an hour.  Let’s get up and I’ll make us some dinner.”   
Using the crutches, Angel hobbled into the kitchen and sat down, and Daryl immediately put another chair across from her.  “Put ya foot up missy.”   
“Nah,  I need it down for a bit.  Just until dinner,” she added when he gave her a dirty look.  “I AM a doctor, you know…”

“Yeah, yeah…”   
Daryl fixed a simple dinner for them, and after they ate and took care of the dishes, they headed over to Deanna’s.

 

Everyone was gathered in the backyard around the fire pit.  In any other situation, it would have been nice.  When they walked in, Emma and Brian were off by themselves, and Emma shot daggers at Angel.  Harlan and Jasmine were there, and someone went to get both Jasmine and Angel chairs.

 

“They think they’re so special.  Maybe I’d like to sit down, too,” Emma complained.  Brian told her, “Well you aren’t 7 months pregnant with twins and you don’t have a sprained ankle.”   
“Oh shut up.  She is totally faking.”   
“I heard Rosita telling that Abraham guy that her ankle was really swollen.”   
“So what?  You just screwed up, you idiot.”   
“Watch it, Emma.  Just remember why I did it.”   
“Don’t you DARE implicate me!” she hissed.  

 

Deanna called everyone to order.  She said, “I would like both of you to give your account of what happened that night, for all those present.  Angel, would you like to go first?”  Before Angel could reply, Emma shouted, “Maybe Brian should go first.  Why does she get first shot?”  Brian hissed at her, “Shut up, Emma!”   
“Why?  She’s not special!”

Angel told Deanna, “I don’t care if I go first or second.”

Deanna assessed the situation and said, “Alright, Brian.  Why don’t you go first?”   
  


Brian hadn’t wanted to go first.  He was trying to remember which story he had given Deanna on the video. He had played out two scenarios in his mind: one where she opened the office door, and one where a herd came in…..which one had he told her?  He walked over to the fire pit.  “Um…..”  Everyone was staring at him...including the doctor.  He started to speak.  “Um...so we went to Home Depot.  Most of you know that….”

He told his story. 

He told the wrong one.  

He looked at Deanna for a clue, but she had a poker face.  When he was done, she said, “Thank you, Brian.  Angel, would you tell your version, please?”

Angel started to speak, “Ok, so yeah, we went to Home Depot for barbed wire and stuff-”  She was cut off by Emma.   
“Hey!  How come she gets to sit?  Brian had to stand over by the fire pit, she should too!”  Brian rolled his eyes, and Deanna told her, “Emma, this doesn’t concern you.  Brian came over here of his own volition.  And Doctor Beecher has an injury.  If you don’t think you can keep quiet, then please go home!”  Brian hissed at her, “Emma, shut the fuck up!”  Emma hissed back, “I was just trying to help!”   
“Well, you aren’t!”   
Deanna turned back to Angel who had stood and was making her way to the front of the fire pit on her crutches.  “Doctor Beecher, this isn’t necessary.”   
“No, it’s fine. So anyway, we went to the Home Depot in Stirling.  Harold drew us a map and the layout of the store because he had worked there…”   
She told her story.  The exact same story she had told Deanna twice.  Everything from Brian pushing her into the office to crawling through the AC system.  From dropping down and hurting her ankle to hoofing it with an injury seven miles through the woods, leaving marks for Daryl.  From almost shooting him at the cabin to hugging him and not being able to let go.  “So we slept at the cabin that night.  Rick took first watch and Daryl took second and I slept.  Then we hiked back to the cars and came back here.  And that’s pretty much it.”     
Deanna smiled and said, “Thank you Doctor.  Please sit back down.”

 

She then turned and addressed the group.  “You have heard two accounts of what happened tonight.  I interviewed both of these people when they got back.  Doctor Beecher’s testimony has not changed.  This is her third time of telling me what happened.  However,” she said, turning to Brian, and he knew he was screwed.  “Brian’s account has changed.  The first two times, he told me that she opened the office door, even though she knew there were walkers in there.  This time he’s telling me that a herd came through and caught them off guard.  You are lying, Brian, and I want to know why.”

Brian looked around for someone to help him, but there was no one.  Everyone’s eyes were on him.  And out of the corner of his own eye, he saw Emma trying to silently slink away.  He turned pointing at her, and exclaiming, “She put me up to it!  It’s her fault!”  Suddenly everyone turned to look at Emma.  She was just about to make a run for it, but as she turned, Michonne was behind her.  “Don’t even think about it,” the samurai told her.   
Emma looked at all those accusing eyes and said, “I have no idea what he’s talking about…”   
“You lying bitch!” he spat out.  “She had told me so many times that she wanted to get rid of her.  She said this doctor thought she was better than everybody else.  Wanted to know why she got to sit on her ass in the clinic while she had to work in the fields.  Told me she’d never be happy unless she was gone.  She even told me she had planned to ‘take care’ of Angel herself when Daryl and Aaron were gone for the week, but Abraham and Rosita went to stay with Angel.  Emma is afraid of Abraham.”   
“She should be,” Abraham said coldly, and Emma turned white.

“This is all on her!’ he continued.  “When I came back and told her Angel was gone, she told me that now she would have Daryl all to herself and for me to fuck off!  Emma wanted Angel dead because then she thought she could have Daryl!”

Everyone looked at Emma, but she was speechless.  She was busted and knew it.  Finally Daryl spoke to Emma.  “Even if somethin’ happened to Angel and she was gone, I would NEVER get with ya.  Even if we was the last two people in the world, I wouldn’t get with ya.  I’d sooner put my dick in a beehive than put it between ya legs, woman.  Ya make me sick.  I done told ya that weeks ago.”

Deanna spoke again.  “Rick, Michonne, I want them taken back to their house and guarded.  They are not to leave for any reason.  I will assign some more guards, and decide a punishment.  Does anyone have an issue with this?”  Everyone shook their heads.  “Does anyone want to speak out in defense of Emma or Brian?”  Again, no one stepped forward.  Emma started screaming, “I hate every single one of you!  I hope this place burns to the ground and kills all of you!”  Turning in Angel’s direction she screamed, “I hate you!  You ruined everything!”  Daryl shot back, “Naw she didn’t.  Even if I never met her, I wouldn’t be keepin’ company with ya.  Get that through ya damn head!”

Michonne and Rick led the two away.  Deanna assigned told them to guard the front door, two people to guard the back door, plus one on each side of the house.  They weren’t going anywhere.  Angel still sat in her lawn chair.  Daryl knelt in front of her.   “Ya okay, babygirl?   
“Yeah.  Daryl, take me home.”   
They had watched The Princess Bride that afternoon, and to her delight, he enjoyed it.  Helping her out of her chair, he said, “As ya wish.”


	27. Chapter 27

They went home, Angel on her crutches and Daryl beside her.  She was exhausted, just from what happened at Deanna’s.  When they got in, Daryl carried her and her crutches up the stairs and tucked her in, then climbed in beside her.  She was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow, mumbling a sleepy, “‘Night, honey…”  Daryl whispered, “‘Night babygirl,” and curled himself protectively around her.  

 

Sometime in the middle of the night, she woke up and needed to use the bathroom.  Getting out of bed at quietly as she could, she grabbed her crutches and headed down the hall.  Suddenly she hit the floor.  At first Angel thought one of her crutches just slipped, but then she heard a maniacal cackle and looked up.  Emma was staring down at her and asked sarcastically, “Have a nice trip?”  All Angel could do was wonder  _ ‘Where the hell is Daryl?  My fall had to wake him up!’ _

Angel was just about to call for him when Emma grabbed her by the hair, tilted her head back, and slit her throat.  Angel tried to scream, but she must have cut her vocal cords, no sound came out.  She tried to crawl back to the bedroom, but Emma yanked her back by her hurt ankle, laughing maniacally.  She finally screamed, “DARYL!!!”

“I got ya girl!  Ya okay, just wake up baby!” he was shaking her.

It was a nightmare.  A bad one.  

Angel looked at Daryl, then put her hands to her throat.  Her neck hadn’t been cut.  Looking around, she asked, “Why are we on the floor?”

“Because ya strong as a horse.”   
“What?”

“I was trying ta wake ya, and you were fightin’ so I had to sit on top of ya.  Ya rolled the both of us ta the floor.  Musta been a helluva dream.”  He stood and helped Angel up.  “It was,” she told him.  “I dreamed that I got up to pee, and Emma tripped me then cut my throat.”   
“Holy shit.  That sounds pretty intense.”   
“Yeah.  The worst part is that I still have to pee, but now I’m afraid.”

Daryl chuckled and said, “Come on.”  He escorted her to the bathroom and checked it out for her, even opened the clear glass doors of the shower.  “Haha, very funny,” Angel told him.

Her ankle was throbbing from the fall, so her got her some aspirin.  Rosita had suggested pain pills, but she had refused, wanting to save them for people “who really need them”.  They went back to bed, Angel falling fast asleep again.  Daryl watched her for a little while to make sure the nightmare didn’t come back.  HIS Angel.  He would make damn sure no one ever laid a hand on her again.

 

Shortly after assigning guards for Emma and Brian’s house, Deanna pulled Rick aside for a talk.  “I need your opinion, Rick.”   
“On what?”   
“What to do with Brian and Emma.  We don’t condemn people to death here, but they can’t stay.  They are a danger to both Angel and Daryl.  We cannot have that.  I am thinking we should banish them.  What do you think?”

“I agree, but hey would probably try to come back.”   
“If they survived the walkers.  It’s still condemnation, make no mistake.”

“We had a similar issue once.”   
“And what did you do?”   
“We blindfolded the person and put headphones on him, threw him in the trunk, drove him around for a few hours and the plan was to drop him off.  Unfortunately we got attacked by a herd and ended up having to take him back with us.  Also unfortunately he….died later.”   
“That may work.  Drive them a few hours away, drop them off with a few days worth of supplies and a few weapons.  We could always leave the weapons several hundred feet from them so they would be unable to attack the people taking them.”   
“Yeah.  Because you’re right, they ARE a threat.  Not just to Daryl and Angel, but to everyone.”

“Thank you, Rick.”

Deanna went home and thought it over for a while longer.  This is how it would have to be.  Brian had been in Alexandria for quite some time, but Emma had been out there.  They had to go.  They were a danger to everyone.

 

The next morning after showers and breakfast, Daryl and Angel were in the living room on the couch reading, and there was a knock on the door.  It was Deanna.  “May I come in for a minute?” she asked politely.  “Of course, please do,” Angel replied.

She sat down on the chair in the room and said, “I’ve come to a decision about Emma and Brian.”   
“Yeah?  You gonna let ‘em stay?” Daryl asked.

“No.  We are banishing them from Alexandria.”   
“Banishing them?” Angel asked.  “You’re going to tell them to leave?”   
“Not exactly.  We’re going to MAKE them leave.  We are going to blindfold and drive them far away, with some food and supplies.”   
Angel couldn’t believe it.  “Where is ‘far away’?” She asked Deanna.  With a small smile she answered, “Steelton.”   
Angel and Daryl looked at each other, confused.  Finally Angel said, “The only Steelton I know is way up in Pennsylvania.”   
“That’s the one.”   
“That’s like a 3 hour drive!”

“Actually, it’s 2 ½ but that’s the point.  They won’t know where they are, and even when they find out, it would take them quite a while to get back here if they were stupid enough to try.  They’ll be right along the Susquehanna River.  And if they DO make it back, they will be shot on sight.  They are unwelcome here.”

Daryl and Angel smiled at each other.  They would be rid of them and they could relax.     
Deanna spoke again.  “I’m about to make the announcement.  Do you want to come?”  Angel shouted out, “YES!” and Daryl called out, “Hell yeah!”

 

Ten minutes later, everyone was gathered in the town square, including Emma and Brian.  They both had a knapsack with them, and looked scared.   _ ‘Must be their clothes, probably just the ones they came with,’  _  Daryl thought.   
Deanna  spoke to everyone.  “We all know that Brian and Emma conspired to murder our doctor and fellow resident Angel Beecher.  We cannot allow something like this to exist within our walls.  However, I will also not allow execution.”  Turning to Emma and Brian, she continued.  “You two are leaving Alexandria today.  You will blindfolded and driven far away and then let out.  We will send you with two days food and water and some basic weapons, knives only.  If you try to come back, you will be shot on sight.  You have made it clear that you are a danger to everyone here.”

 

Emma piped up, “But where are you taking us?  We have a right to know!”

Rick replied, “Are you stupid?  You have NO rights right now.  You tried to kill someone.  You’re lucky we’re letting you live!  If you don’t like it, get a lawyer and sue us!”  Several people in the crowd chuckled and Emma screamed, “Shut up!  This isn’t funny!”  Then Abraham laughed, “Yeah it is!  Can we please take the trash out now?”

Emma tried to run away again, but Michonne was on her before she got far.  They handcuffed the both of them, put oversized headphones on their ears, and pillowcases over them.  Instead of the trunk of a car, they buckled them into the backseat of the van, a nicety that several felt they didn’t deserve, but were assured it made them easier to keep an eye on.  Harlan drove, Eugene was shotgun, and Abraham and Harold rode on the floor facing backwards to keep an eye on the Emma and Brian.  Both had guns, and both were prepared to shoot if they managed to get loose.  Emma was bitching all the way to the van, saying this wasn’t fair, she deserved to stay.  Finally, Deanna tossed Abraham a roll of duct tape.  He tore off a piece and covered Emma’s mouth with it.

 

They drove out and the gates closed behind them.  Angel let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding.  Jasmine came over, hand on her big belly.  “They’ll be ok, right?  Harlan?  He’ll be ok, right?”  Daryl put a hand on her shoulder and told her, “He’s gonna be just fine.  They all will.  We’ll maybe not Emma and Brian, but who gives a damn?”  Turning to Angel, Jasmine said, “I’m so sorry we ever brought her here.  I had no idea how bad she’d really get.”  Angel hugged her and said, “This is NOT your fault.  She was just a sociopath.  Why don’t you come over and hang out until Harlan gets home?  We’ve got some movies and we can make some snacks.”  Jasmine’s pretty face lit up.  “Oh wow, I can’t remember the last time I sat and watched a movie!  Seems like forever.”

“It’s settled then.”  She adjusted her crutches and quipped, “Plus you can help me convince him that ‘Hopalong’ is a good nickname for me right now.”   
“Dammit girl, that shit ain’t funny,” he said as the girls dissolved into giggles.     
  
The men drove Brian and Emma out of Virginia, through Maryland, and over the state line of Pennsylvania, crossed the Susquehanna River, and stopped at the river bank.  They had some extra packs with two days worth of food and water for them and put it on the ground as they helped them out of the van.  Abraham pulled the pillowcases off, and as the captives blinked in the bright light, he removed their headphones, unlocked their handcuffs, and tore the duct tape off of Emma’s mouth.  Immediately she started in.     
“How dare you do that to me!  I deserve better treatment!  I DEMAND you take me back to Alexandria, RIGHT NOW!  I refuse to stand for this!” she tried to go back to the van, but Harlan grabbed her by the back of her shirt and threw her on the ground.  “You ain’t coming back,” he said, his voice usually devoid of the good humor he seemed to always have.  “You don’t belong there.  You’re just a bad egg, Emma.  Good luck out here,” then turning to Brian, “have fun.  She ain’t cut out for it out here.  She’ll stick to you like glue.”   
Brian muttered, “Great.”

Emma tried another tactic. Putting on a syrupy sweet voice and pushing her bust out she said, “Come on guys…..I’m sure that all you big strong men and I could come to an agreement.”`   
Harold asked her “What do you mean ‘an agreement’?”   
“Well,” Emma said, batting her eyes, “I could show you all a real good time.”   
Eugene simply said in his deadpan voice, “That sounds disgusting.”  All the other men agreed as Emma’s face turned red.

Abraham pointed to a trail they had driven down.  “See this trail?  When we get about fifty yards out, we’ll drop your knives there.  I suggest you pick them up quickly.” Nudging their supply pack with his foot, he continued, “There's enough food and water for two days, three if you’re conservative.  After that, you’re on your own.”   
“Wait!” Emma pleaded. “How am I supposed to get food or water?  This is inhumane!”  Abraham turned around and closed in on her, grabbing her by the shoulders.  “Inhumane?  Do you even know the meaning of the damn word?  You convinced your stupid boyfriend to kill the town doctor so you could have a crack at her man!  How dumb are you?  That town needs a doctor, and we got one that everyone likes.  We don’t need a village whore, one that everyone hates.  You were inhumane.  Both of you.  Come back to Alexandria, and we will shoot you.  I’ll make sure of it.”

With that, they got in the van and drove off.  As promised, they stopped a fifty yards and threw out a couple of knives, then drove off.    
Emma turned to Brian.  “Where are we?”   
“Fuck if I know.”  He started rummaging through the food pack, dividing everything up.   
“Brian, what are you doing?”   
“Giving you your half.  I’m outta here.” He started to walk up the trail to retrieve his knife.   
“Wait!”  Emma called out, “You’re just gonna leave me here?”   
“Yep.  Getting mixed up with you was the worst choice I ever made.  You convinced me to kill a person, and she never did anything to me.  And you only did it so you could try to get her boyfriend.  You got me kicked out of what is probably the only safe place left in this crap ass world.  Get lost, Emma.”

She grabbed her stuff and followed him,  tried sweet talking and pleading, but when she got anywhere within arms length, he would shove her away.  So she just followed him about 10 paces behind.   _ ‘That damn doctor!’ _  Emma thought.   _ ‘This is all her fault!’ _  Despite Daryl telling her more than once that he wanted nothing to do with her, Emma still blamed Angel.  

 

Back at the house, Angel and Jasmine were watching movies, eating snacks, and gossiping.  Daryl had retreated to the kitchen to get away.  Well okay, they kind of kicked him out, so he was working on dinner.  He figured Jasmine and Harlan would join them, and Jasmine was eating for three.  He started pulling vegetables out of the freezer, and Angel came in on her crutches.  “Hey there handsome.”   
“Dammit woman,  what’re ya doin’ up?”   
“Shh.  Jasmine conked out on the couch.  Couldn’t bear to wake her up.”  She hobbled over to 

Daryl and he put down his things to take her in his arms and kiss her.  He held her tightly in his arms.   
“Do you think we’re really safe now?” she asked him.

“Ain’t never gonna be safe.  But with them gone, we’re definitely safer.”

They stood there holding each other for a long time, each lost in their own thoughts….

 

As the men drove away from Steelton, Eugene simply said, “I didn’t like her.  She was a mean lady.  And she wore too much makeup.”   
“Agreed on all counts, “ Harlan said.  “When she was out there with us, she kept trying to come on to me.  I finally had to yell at her to leave me alone or we’d leave her behind before she got the picture.  She’s vile.  I don’t even know how she survived before she found us.”

Abraham piped up, “Probably fucked her way into protection.  Daryl said she reminded him of lot lizards back at truck stops.  Hookers who hang out and sometimes fuck their way from town to town.  People wouldn’t have hated her so much if she’d at least done her work.  I kinda feel sorry for Brian for getting mixed up with her, but you reap what you sow.”

 

Daryl went in the living room and carefully draped a light blanket over Jasmine on the couch before returning to the kitchen where Angel was.  He unwrapped her ankle and helped her move it a bit and lightly massaged it for her before wrapping it again.     
“Hey, when I get better, how about a hunting trip?” she asked him.

“I don’t know.  Don’t really like the idea of ya bein’ outside the walls….”   
“Daryl!  I lived out there, remember?  I took care of myself just fine.  And I wasn’t asking for permission, I was asking if you wanted to join me.  If not, I’ll go by myself.”   
“Come on now, Angel.  With ya bein’ the only doctor, it ain’t a good idea for ya to be wanderin’ ‘round the woods is all I’m sayin’.”   
“Really?  Because it sounds like you think I can’t take care of myself.  I was doing just fine before I met you.”   
“Ya mean when I found ya bound and gagged?”   
Angel glared at Daryl, and he knew he’d crossed the line.

“That was a cheap shot Daryl.  What about what you told me about Terminus?  Sounds like you needed someone save YOUR ass once.”

He didn’t know what to say, so he didn’t say anything.  She was right.   It *was* a cheap shot and he *had* needed help in Terminus.  If Carol hadn’t busted them out, they’d have been on the barbecue.   
She stood up and grabbed her crutches.  “And another thing: at least I didn’t willingly walk right into the trouble I found.”  As she loped out she muttered under her breath, “Asshole.”

 

Angel was right, and he knew it.  He was being overprotective, but he was so afraid something would happen to her and he would lose her.  She was the best thing that ever happened to her.  Daryl peeked into the living room.  Angel had dozed off as well, with a book on her chest.  He stuck a note on the TV letting her know he’d be back soon, before the dinner in the oven was done, and went to go visit Rick.

 

Rick was just finishing changing Judith’s diaper when there was a knock on the door.  Opening it, there was Daryl looking perplexed.  “Could have used you five minutes ago for diaper duty,” Rick told him.  “Aw hell no, ‘Daddy’,” Daryl replied.  “Wouldn’t dream of taking that away from ya,” he chuckled.  Judith reached for Daryl, and Rick  handed her over.  She immediately rested her little head on his shoulder and started chewing on his vest.  The gruff redneck gently rubbed her back and kissed her little head.     
“What’s on your mind, Daryl?”   
“Nothin’.  Just wanted to see Lil’ Asskicker.”   
“You got that ‘I need to ask a question’ look on your face, brother.”

Daryl took a deep breath.  “You loved Lori, right?”   
“Of course I did. It’s why I married her.  It’s why I had Carl and Judith with her.”   
“How did you know you loved her?”

Rick took a breath.  He was pretty sure of what Daryl was getting at.  He was in love with Angel.  It was obvious.  But he needed to tread lightly.  That man could be skittish like a deer.   
“Well, there wasn’t any one thing.  I just…..felt it, I suppose.”

“Hmmm…”  Daryl gently laid Judith down for her nap.  “How long was it before you told her?”   
“Well, I kinda knew right away.  I knew she was the woman I wanted to spend my life with.  It didn’t work out that way, but I’m glad for the time I had with her.  I think I told her early on.”

Daryl digested that, then asked, “Was it easy?”   
“To tell her I loved her?  Nah.  Guys aren’t always good at that sort of thing.  But once I said it, I kept saying it.  She loved hearing it.  But all people are different.  Don’t think I ever heard my father tell my mother, but you could tell by the way he acted.”

“Actions speak louder than words?”   
“They can.  But every person is different.  Daryl….are you thinking of telling Angel that you love her?  Is that what this is all about?”   
Daryl turned to leave, “I gotta go.  Dinner’ll be ready soon…”  And with that he was gone.  Rick just shook his head.

The guys got back from “taking out the trash” as Abraham called it at, about 5:30.  Jasmine met Harlan as soon as he pulled up, relieved that her man was back.  Rosita was there for Abraham, Harold had his son.  Angel watched from afar.  Poor Eugene didn’t have anyone…..or did he?  A shy young woman, a resident by the name of Amanda, was chatting him up, it seemed.  Rosita caught Angel’s eye and they both smiled.  Poor guy needed a woman, it was about damn time!

 

Harlan and Jasmine joined them for dinner, as planned, and Harlan told them what happened.  “She tried to fuck her way back with you guys?” Angel said incredulously.

“Yeah.  She’s a piece of work,” Harlan told her shaking his head.

 

After dinner the young couple left, and it was just Angel and Daryl.  He loaded the dishwasher, thinking to himself,  _ ‘Turnin’ into a fuckin’ domestic bitch.  Good thing Merle ain’t here, I’d never hear the end of it.’ _

Angel loped out of the kitchen on the crutches heading for the stairs.  Daryl frowned.  “Where ya think ya goin’?”   
“Upstairs.  I want to take a bath and soak my ankle again.”   
“Ya ain’t walkin’ up.  I’ll carry ya.”   
“Daryl, I should walk.  Strengthen my ankle a bit.”   
“Not tonight ya won’t.”  Before she could protest, he picked her up in his arms, carried her up to the bathroom, and placed her on the edge of the tub with a kiss.  “I’mma finish cleanin’ up downstairs, then I’ll be right up, okay?”   
“You joining me?”   
“Nah, not tonight.  But I’ll wash ya back….” he smiled.   
“Actually...would you wash my hair?  We’ve got the little shower head thingie.”   
“Anything ya want.”   
He headed back downstairs and finished cleaning up as she ran her bath, then locked the house up tight and headed back up.  Daryl walked into the bathroom just in time to see her get completely naked.  God damn.  He immediately got hard, she seemed to have that effect on her.  Angel smiled at him, “Can you give me a hand getting in, baby?”

 

Once in the tub, he sat on the edge and washed her back, then washed her hair.  He had seen her do it enough times.  Those shampoo commercials were lies: with long, thick, wavy hair like Angel’s, you couldn’t pile it on top of her head and mess with it.  You had to work from the scalp to the ends, otherwise it would end up a tangled, matted mess.  

Angel loved how gentle he was washing her hair, like she was a little baby or a little doll.  When she titled her head back so he could rinse it out, he used his hand to shield her eyes in case any soap ran down.  Angel loved him, and she knew it.  She wondered if he felt the same way.  She knew he was definitely VERY fond of her, but he didn’t seem the “in love” type.  Of course, he didn’t seem like the type that would load the dishwasher while she took a bath, either.  He kept surprising her.

 

Daryl helped Angel out of the tub, helped her dry off, then wrapped her ankle again.  She put on a little tank top and panties….damn she was hot.  Instead of getting into bed, she was sitting on the side of the bed with her legs dangling down.  She tilted her head and looked at him with a little smile.    
“What?”   
“Nothing….”   
“Woman, why ya keep starin’ at me?”   
“Because I think you’re cute.”   
“Psh.”   
She crooked  her finger at him.  “Come here.”   
“Why?”   
“Because I say so.”

He had taken off his shirt, and he came and stood in front of her.  Angel grabbed the waistband of his pants and jerked him closer.  Looking up at him, she reached up, and slowly ran her hands down his chest and over his stomach, then rested her hands on his belt buckle.   
His blue eyes looked into her dark ones, and he asked quietly, “What ya playin’ at, girl?”   
“Not playing,” she said, never taking her eyes off him.   Slowly she began to undo his belt buckle, but he put his hands on hers.     
“No, babygirl, we can’t.”   
“Why can’t we?”

“Ya hurt.  Ya need ta heal.”

Angel felt his cock through his pants, and it was rock hard.  “My mouth isn’t hurt.”  She started to undo his belt buckle again.  Daryl felt like he should stop her, but damn, he really didn’t want to. Angel spoke again, “WIth you standing and me sitting, my ankle will be just fine.  Besides,” she smiled as she pulled out his cock, “I want dessert.”  With that she slid her sweet little mouth down his hard length, and he moaned loudly.  He loved that she could easily deep throat him, it  felt incredible.

Taking her eyes from his momentarily, she saw that his hands were balled into fists at his sides.  She took his hands and placed them on her own head.  He stroked her hair and pulled it back from her face so he could watch her.

She slid Daryl’s cock from her mouth, and as he watched, she licked two fingers and put them down in her panties and started working her clit, then slid his cock back into the wet heat of her mouth.    
“Fuck, babygirl,” he breathed.  “Feel so fuckin’ good…”

“Talk dirty to me, Daryl.  Tell me what a dirty little whore I am,” she said and went back to sucking him in earnest.

“Yeah?”   
“Mmm hmmm….”

“Faster, babe,” he told her.  He wasn’t gonna last and he knew it, and judging by how fast her hand was moving in her panties, neither was she.  They were just way too horny for each other all the damn time.

Angel bobbed her head faster on his cock, savoring the taste, and keeping her eyes on him.  Leaving one hand tightly grasping her hair, he ran the other up his body, stopping to pinch his nipples, then wrapped it around his own throat and squeezed, finally choking out, “Ya dirty little whore….”

Daryl looked down at her as he said it.  Her eyes slid shut then opened again, dark with lust and desire for him.  The hand in her panties was flying, and he was loving the feel of his cock sliding into the back of her throat.   
“Ya  like that?  Ya like sucking my cock, ya whore?”   
Angel moaned around his cock, and the vibrations made his cock twitch in her mouth.  She noticed and moaned some more.   
“Ah yeah, that’s it.  Suck my cock baby, gonna cum in ya mouth, ya gonna swallow every drop, ain’t ya?  Swallow it like the dirty whore ya are…” His hand tightened in her hair and she whimpered. He loosened his grip, and with her free hand, she reached up and tightened it again.   
“Ya like that little bit of pain, huh?  Ya fuckin’ slut..”

Daryl began thrusting into her mouth roughly, her moans spurring him on.  She’d told him she had no gag reflex, and boy was he glad.  He didn’t think he could stop.  The hand around his own throat harder squeezed harder and he drove deep into her mouth.  

Angel tightened her throat around his cock.

Daryl came undone.   
“FUCK YEAH!  SUCK THAT COCK, YA FILTHY WHORE!  SWALLOW MY FUCKIN’ LOAD!!!” He spurted again and again into her mouth, and looked down to see her eyes locked on his, greedily swallowing his cock.  Suddenly, her eyes slammed shut, his cock slipped from her mouth, her back arched, and she screamed, “OHHHH FUCK, DARYL! FUCKFUCKFUCK!!!”  As she came from her own fingers.  Daryl’s legs gave out, and he fell to his knees in front of her.

He watched in awe as she writhed and twitched, god she was so fucking amazing.   
Slowly Angel pulled her  hand out of her panties, and Daryl grabbed her wrist and sucked her fingers clean, then rested his head on one of her thighs, and put his arms around her waist.  “Angel…” he whispered.  He wanted to say it, but the words wouldn’t come.  Angel stroked his hair, and said softly, “Come to bed, baby.  We need to sleep.”

Daryl managed to pull himself to his feet.  He helped her get her ankle up on the extra pillows, covered her with the light summer blanket, then climbed in next to her, shutting off the light.   
And he hated himself for being a coward.


	28. Chapter 28

Angel woke up sometime late in the night and turned to look at Daryl.  He was on his stomach, with his left hand on her thigh and his head turned toward her.  She thought back and realized that she always woke with him touching her in some way: his arm or hand connecting her to him in their sleep.  She loved to look at him when he slept.  His face was so peaceful.  All the lines smoothed and his scowl gone...although he didn’t scowl at her anymore.  His shaggy hair lay across his forehead.  Angel loved being able to see him when he just woke up.  He had crazy bed head, and he always reminded her of a sleepy toddler, getting up and stumbling to the bathroom.  She gently placed her hand over his, and he gave a tiny smile in his sleep.  Her injured ankle made it impossible for her to cuddle up to him the way she liked, and she silently cursed at it.  As if she had spoken a request, Daryl scooted closer in his sleep and snuggled close to her.   _ ‘I fucking love this man,’   _ she thought.  His head was resting on her chest, and she very softly said, “I love you, Daryl,” then closed her eyes and was soon fast asleep again.   
  
Daryl was somewhere between sleep and wakefulness when he slid over and cuddled her.  And he heard her tell him she loved him.  He stayed still and played dead, but his mind was working overtime. Had she really said it?  Why did she say it when she thought he was asleep?  He was still awake and mulling it over as the sun started to rise and Angel woke up.

Not knowing he was awake, she gently shook him.  “Wakey wakes, baby.”

“Yeah, I’m up.”  He got out of bed.

“Wow, you’re a little grumpy.”   
“No I ain’t!” He said that a lot louder and angrier than he meant to.  Angel just looked at him.  He went into the bathroom and stood at the sink.  Why was he so mad?  Because she’d said it first?  Maybe it was just lack of sleep.  He splashed some water on his face and went back into the bedroom.   
Angel put on some shorts and a tshirt, and put one boot on her good foot.  Screw this shit, she wasn’t gonna hang around him all day if he was in a bad mood.  When Daryl came in, she was pulling her hair back.

“Where ya think ya goin’?”   
“I’m going down to the clinic to visit with Rosita, and I need to check on Jasmine as well.  I want to make sure her blood pressure is still good.  She’s getting close to delivery…” she grabbed her crutches and started out of the room.  “Besides, you’re being a grumpy asshole, and I don’t like being around you when you are,” she told him as she passed him.

“Angel, wait,” he stopped her.  “I’m sorry, babygirl. I guess I didn’t sleep too good.  Ya right, I’m bein’ a grumpy asshole.  I guess I just aint used to bein’ cooped up in a house for a couple days in a row.  Even if I got good company.”   
Angel looked at him and smiled.  “You’re forgiven.  But I DO need to go to the clinic and to see Jasmine.  And Rosita can help me start to work my ankle a bit.  I don’t like being cooped up either.  Even with good company.”   
“Alright.  But I’m still carryin’ ya down the stairs….”  Angel opened her mouth to protest, but before she could, Daryl swept her into his arms and carried her down.  She just smiled and shook her head before kissing him goodbye and heading out.

  
  


Rosita was bustling about the clinic when Angel came in.  “Excuse me doctor,” Angel said, “but I have a pain in my ass.”   
Rosita turned around with a big smile and said, “I bet it’s named Daryl.”  They laughed as Rosita came across the room to hug her.  “Are you back?  Because you’re still on your sticks.”   
“Nah, but I needed to get out of the house.  I figured I could recruit you to help me work my ankle.  Daryl is too afraid to let me do anything.”   
“Is he still carrying you up and down the stairs?”   
“Every single time.”

 

Angel sat down and Rosita unwrapped her ankle and gave it the once over.  “It looks really good.  The swelling has gone down.  Can you flex it a little?”     
Angel flexed her foot, grimacing.   
“Is it really painful?”  Rosita asked.   
“It’s not unbearable, but it isn’t fun, that’s for sure.  Daryl wants me to just keep it wrapped and elevated, not move it.  I try to when he’s not around, but he’s still pissed I have crutches.  For fuck’s sake, I walked 14 miles on this damn ankle!”   
“Aw, be nice.  He’s concerned.  Try and point your toe.”   
She was able to point her toe with less pain and told Rosita, “I know.  But he forgets that I’m an actual doctor, and I know how to take care of injures!  Speaking of which, anything happen while I was out?”   
Rosita thought for a moment and told her, “Not much.  Bumps and bruises, cuts and scrapes, mostly just the kids.  Oh and Harold got a fish hook stuck in his hand.”   
“AGAIN???!!!”   
“Yep.  I told him next time we were gonna leave it there.”

 

They spent the first few hours just chatting.  Angel had always worked too hard to have girlfriends, but she was glad she did now.  She considered Rosita her best friend, and Rosita felt the same way.  After their chat, Rosita went to get Jasmine so Angel could examine her, and she got a visitor. 

Angel was looking through the cabinets to take stock of what they had, when a voice from behind spooked her.   
“Um, hi Doctor Beecher.”   
“Well, hello Eugene!  How have you been?  Haven’t seen you much.”   
“No ma’am.  I haven’t been sick.  If I’m not sick I don’t visit the doctor.”   
Poor guy looked so uncomfortable.  “Are you sick now?” Angel asked, loping over to him.

“Oh no, ma’am.  I’m fine.  I wanted to ask if I could borrow some of your medical texts.  Miss Amanda is the teacher here, and she found out that I used to be a science teacher, so we’ve been talking about maybe me helping out.  I thought I could use one of your texts to make a kind of lesson plan.”   
They’d “been talking” he said.  Angel got a big smile, and said, “Oh really?  This is something you two have been working on for a while?”

“A few days.”

“She seems very nice, Eugene.”   
“Oh she is ma’am.”  She saw a hint of a smile play on his lips.

“Sure thing.  Come over here, there’s a couple of books you can borrow….”

  
  


Rosita  came back with Jasmine, and Angel asked her if she knew about him and Amanda.  Rosita smiled and said, “Yeah, I saw them talking a few times, isn’t it cute?”  Jasmine asked, “Who is Eugene?”   
Angel held up her hand above her head, saying, “Oh he’s about this tall, kinda stocky..”  Rosita interjected, “He’s got a sweet mullet…”  Jasmine exclaimed, “Oh, him!  Aw, that’s sweet.  He seems nice,” as Rosita helped her onto the exam table.  

 

Jasmine’s blood pressure and temperature checked out fine, and all three of them listened to the babies hearts beating with the stethoscope.  Jasmine asked, “What was it you were saying about a mucous plug the other night at dinner before the guys got grossed out and stopped you?”   
Angel told her, “Well if you lose your mucous plug, your probably gonna start labor.  BUT, it could be immediate or one or two weeks later.”   
“What does it looks like?”   
“Well, it’s a plug about this big,” she put her thumb and middle finger together in a circle, “and it’s made of blood and mucous and it plugs the opening of your cervix.  But you might lose it and not even notice.”

 

They heard an uncomfortable cough behind him, and there stood Carl, Rick’s boy, holding his finger which was bleeding slightly.  “Um...that was gross,” he said.  The ladies just laughed, and Rosita said, “Remember that the first time you want to have sex!”

 

“Come over here and let me see your finger,” Angel told him.  It was a simple cut, he had nicked his hand on a glass he broke.  Angel cleaned it, bandaged it, and sent him on his way.  Jasmine admitted she was nervous about having the twins.  Angel had figured she was about 32 weeks along.   Most twins that come early come between 32 and 37 weeks, and she reminded Jasmine of that.

“If you think you are having contractions, even if your water hasn’t broken, you send for me, okay?  I don’t care if it’s the middle of the night.”   
“Okay...I just wish I knew what to expect.”   
  
Rosita suddenly spoke, “Jasmine, we should talk to Jessie!  She’s got two kids, she could probably be lots of help!”   
Angel was proud of Rosita for thinking about it.  “That’s a great idea!  Rosita, why don’t you take Jasmine over there and see if she’s home.”

“Okay, I’ll be back in a bit.”

 

After her shift at the clinic, Angel started for home.  She couldn’t climb the tower to take watch.  Instead of heading home, though, she found herself heading to Aaron and Eric’s.  After knocking, Eric answered the front door.

“Oh hey, is Aaron here?”   
“He is but he’s taking a nap.  He didn’t sleep well last night.  I hate to wake him, but if it’s important….”   
“No, no.  Actually, you could probably help me.  Remember the little girl they brought back?  The one that….didn’t make it?”   
Eric nodded sadly, so she continued.  “What happened to her body?  Did they burn it?”   
“Oh no.  She was buried.  Behind the church.  There’s a small cemetery there.  We just put ‘Jane Doe, child’ on her marker.  We didn’t know what else to do…” he trailed off.

Angel smiled at him.  “That sounds nice.  Thank you for doing that.  I need to go pay my respects…” she turned to leave.

“Doctor Angel?”   
“Yes?” she turned back.

Eric paused, then just said, “We know you tried.  And we’re glad you’re here.”

She was a little teary, she hobbled back over and hugged him and he hugged her back.  “Thank you, Eric.  That means a lot to me.”

 

Angel hobbled off to the church that was near the town gates, and waved at Spencer, who smiled and waved back..  Ever since he had seen her heart breaking at Daryl leaving for a week that one time, he had changed his attitude towards her.  He still thought she was gorgeous, but she wasn’t for him.  She was also a badass, and he respected that.  He considered her to be a friend.   
She lurched around to the side and then the back, and saw the small graveyard.  One grave was newer than the others, and she saw the marker said “Jane Doe, child”.  Angel sat down next to it, noticing that someone had put some wildflowers down for her.  They were wilting and turning brown.   
“Hey there, little girl.  I’m sorry I couldn’t save you.  I wanted to.  You didn’t really even get a chance, and I’m so sorry about that.  I’m glad someone brought you flowers, they’re really pretty.  I didn’t bring you anything….I guess I just didn’t really think about it.”  She felt bad about it.  Hearing a footfall behind her, she saw Father Gabriel approaching.

“Hello Father Gabriel.”   
He crouched down next to her.  “Hello, Doctor.  How is your ankle?  Better I hope?”   
“Oh much.  Been exercising it a small bit, soaking it a bit, and Daryl keeps it wrapped up pretty well.”   
They sat in silence for a few moments, the Gabriel said, “I see you’ve come to visit our young resident.”   
“Yeah.  I tried to help her, but…”   
“I heard about it.  After you left, Maggie sent for me, and I gave her last rites.”   
“Oh thank you.  I didn’t even think of it.”   
“It’s quite alright, Doctor.  You were grieving, too.  Is...is there anything I can do to comfort you?”   
Angel smiled at him.  “No thank you, Father Gabriel.  I’m not much of a church person.”   
“I understand.  But please know, the doors to the church are always open….even if you just want to talk to a friend.”   
“Thank you, Father.  I’ll keep that in mind.  And thank you for giving her flowers.”   
He smiled at her and said, “That wasn’t me….” and drew her gaze to the side of the church.

 

Daryl was standing there, holding a small bundle of wildflowers, watching them.  Gabriel went back inside, and as Angel struggled to get up, Daryl hurried over to help her.  He leaned over and took out the old flowers off the little girl's grave and tossed them aside, and gently placed the fresh ones there.  “You?” Angel asked.  He looked at her from under his shaggy hair and just said, “Yeah…”   
They stood quietly for a few minutes, and Daryl put his arm around her.  Finally, he looked at Angel and said, “How about I take ya home and get ya some food?”   
Smiling up at him, she said, “That sounds divine.”

 

TWO WEEKS LATER

 

Angel’s ankle had finally healed up and things seemed to be back to normal at ASZ.  No new people had come, and all they dealt with was the occasional walker.

 

Daryl and Angel were in the house arguing.  Angel had been talking about going hunting for a few days, and Daryl was dead set against it.   
“I don’t like it, Angel.”

“Too bad.  I’m not asking for your permission, I’m telling you I’m going.  If you would like to join me, you can.”

“Dammit woman!  Why ya gotta go anyways?”

“The same reason you do.  I can’t stay cooped up like this!”

Angel grabbed her pack and loaded it worth some food and bottles of water, then put a knife in each boot, one on her hip, and her sling shot in her back pocket.  Daryl ran his hand through his hair in frustration as she grabbed her bow and arrows.  He grabbed his crossbow in exasperation.  “Dammit, Angel.  Ya lucky I like ya.”

She rolled her eyes, “Yeah, yeah.”

“Ya stubborn little brat sometimes, ya know that?”   
“Of course.  I was an only child.”

He put his arms around her, and whispered, “I oughta put ya over my knee and spank ya….”   
“Nice try,” she said, pulling away.  “Come on, we’re burning daylight, and I want some rabbit stew.”

 

After a few hours, she had already bagged two rabbits and impressed the hell out of Daryl.  She was a damn good tracker, and had keen eyes, refusing to shoot one rabbit by pointing out to Daryl her teats when she stood up on her hind legs - she was a mama.  Made a lot more sense to let her go take care of her babies that would grow up into big rabbits than let them starve.  Daryl agreed.  He wasn’t keen on killing mama animals, either.   
All along the forest, she’d stop and pick up small rocks and put them in her pocket.  “What’s that about?” he asked.  She patted the sling shot in her back pocket as a reply.

They decided to head back as they’d wandered quite far and it would likely take them a couple of hours to make the hike. 

Suddenly, the hair on the back of Angel’s neck stood up and she looked at Daryl.  He gave her a questioning look, but then it hits him, as well.  Someone was watching them.  They scanned the tree line but didn’t couldn’t see any threats.  Then they heard a voice from a bit of a distance call out, “That’s a cute woman ya got, how about sharin’?” and then laughter.

Daryl told her, “Run!  Get outta here before they catch up!”

“I don’t want to leave you!”   
“Go back and get a crew ta come back for me!  DAMMIT, GO!”

Angel took off running, her little legs a blur.  Daryl, her Daryl, was back there, and every fiber of her being wanted to turn back.  But she knew that if she did, they’d both be in trouble.  She came to a clearing with a small camp set up.  What were the odds that it belonged to whoever was after them?  Pretty good.  She shimmied up high into a tree out of sight to sit and wait.    
  
Daryl had sent her ahead as a distraction.  He’d rather they catch him instead of her.  Those guys weren’t looking to be pen pals with her.  Sure enough, they caught him.  “Where’s ya woman?” one of the men asked.  “Ain’t mine,” Daryl lied, “ and if ya hadn’t scared her off, she might still be here.  Coulda all had her.”  He stalled hoping the two men wouldn’t go after her.  They were pretty disgusting: smelled like they hadn’t bathed in months (and probably hadn’t), and the teeth left in their heads were rotten.  Daryl never had thought too badly about hillbillies, hell, he and Merle were one step away, but these were the worst kind.  “So where is she?” the taller of the two asked.  Daryl looked at him, “Like I said, ya’ll scared her off.”  The guy peered at him, “So why din’t’ja  go after her?”  Daryl thought quickly, looking at the rifle the guy had and said, “Didn’t wanna get shot.”

The tall man looked at the shorter man and said, “Tie ‘im up.  We can use ‘im.”  Daryl turned to the second guy, ready to put up a fight until the first one put his rifle to the back of his head, telling him, “I don’t wanna shoot ya, but I will.  Be a good lil’ boy and put yer hands behind ya back.   Daryl did as he was told and the shorter guy secured his wrists with zip ties.  They took his crossbow and the knife on his belt.  He figured he would wait for them to fall asleep and cut himself loose with the knife in his boot.  Hell, if Angel made good time, he wouldn’t have to.  She’d bring the cavalry.

They made him walk, and before long they were at a campsite in a clearing.  He’d been carrying the rabbits Angel got, and they took them from him, and made him sit on the ground against a tree.  He hoped she was okay.  He’d never forgive himself if she was hurt.

 

Unbeknownst to Daryl, Angel was VERY close by.  She wasn’t in the tree he was sitting against, but one nearby, way high up.  Angel was sitting very still on a high branch, waiting to make her move.  She knew she had to be careful: these guys had rifles.  All they had were their bows and a few knives.  Never bring a knife to a gunfight.   _ ‘Hang tight, baby,’   _ she thought to herself.   _ ‘I’ll keep you safe.  I promise….’ _

 

The hillbillies cooked up the rabbit, giving none to Daryl.  The tall one sat down in front of him, saying, “I’ll ask ya one more time.  Where’s the girl?”   
“How the hell should I know?  Done told ya that ya scared her off!”

“We been lookin’ fer girls fer awhile now….had a few, but they were damn young.  They don’t last long…” he got up and shuffled away, leaving Daryl’s blood boiling.  He was a live and let live kinda guy, especially now, but he couldn’t abide hurting women or children.  Especially not like that.

The shorter one spoke up.  “How’s about we just use him?  Ain’t like we haven’t before.”

_ ‘Oh no,’  _  Daryl thought.   _ ‘I ain’t built for that shit.’ _

Angel was up in her tree, watching.  The two men began to debate the pros and cons of raping Daryl.  Angel plucked a few green leaves from the top of the tree and dropped them down.  If Daryl noticed, he didn’t respond.  He was listening to the hillbillies argue over who got to “break him in”.  Angel dropped some more leaves down.  She saw Daryl watch them fall on the ground, then did it again.  Finally, he looked up, and his eyes met hers in the tree.  She put a finger to her lips, as if he needed to be told to be quiet.  All he could think was,  _ ‘Dammit girl!  What the hell ya doin’ here?’ _

Daryl had been so busy wondering what the hell she was doing up in a tree, that he’s stopped listening to the hillbillies.  They knew he’d put up a fight.  They’d planned for a girl, but it wouldn’t be the first or last time they’d used a guy.  These were desperate times.  They had ropes around some trees, and they just jumped him.  Dragging him over to the trees, they cut off the zip ties and quickly flipped him on his stomach and bound his wrists to a rope that was wrapped around a tree trunk, then quickly bound his ankles to the ropes around two other trees, so he was stretched out with his legs open in a Y shape.  He was yelling, so one of the guys pulled out a dirty bandana out of his pocket and gagged him with it.

The tall one said, “Should we just cut his pants off?”   
The short one said, “Yep.  We untie this fucker to take his clothes off he’ll prolly kill us.”   
“Haha!  Yep, if’n he survives what we’re about ta do!”

 

Angel was tracking their progress from the trees.   _ ‘Hang in there, Daryl.  They won’t get a chance.’ _  She pulled a good size rock out of her pocket, and positioned it in her slingshot.  She aimed for the trees on the other side of the clearing.  The sun had set and it was dark.  This would work perfectly.  She let it fly, and heard it land in some bushes, making some noise.   
“What was that?”   
“Eh, prolly a rabbit.  Gimme that knife.”  The tall man bent down and copped a feel on Daryl’s ass.  Pissing off both him AND Angel.  That was her man.  She let another stone fly, closer to the clearing.  Jackpot.  It sounded like a footstep. She fired a few more together.  It was working.  The tall one told the shorter one, “Go check that out.”   
“Why me?”   
Angel rolled her eyes.  She just needed one to leave.   
The tall man said, “Because I said so!”  The shorter one grumbled, but left.  As soon as he was gone, the tall one leaned down and grabbed Daryl’s ass again.  Angel had an arrow ready, but he was too close to Daryl, she couldn’t risk it.  He stood and started unbuckle his pants, and that was all Angel needed.  She let her arrow fly, and it went right through his head.  He fell to the ground next to Daryl dead.  Angel began to make her way quietly down from the tree.  Suddenly the short guy came out of the woods.  “There ain’t shit out there! I looked-” he stopped short when he saw the tall guy dead on the ground.  Confused, he looked at Daryl who was still bound and gagged.  Suddenly, Angel dropped out of the tree, went into a somersault without missing a beat, and flung her knife at the guy before he could lift his rifle.  She got him right in the leg and he crumpled to the ground.  She ran up quickly and took his rifle, while he called her every name under the sun.  Angel said, “Kiss your mother with that mouth?  Ah fuck.  Probably your mom, your sister, your cousins…”

 

Walking over to Daryl, Angel cut him loose.  “Took ya long enough,” he grumbled.     
Angel looked and him and said, “On my planet, we say ‘thank you’.”  Without answering her, he took the tall man’s rifle, walked over and shot the short one in the head.  Twice.  Angel said, “Daryl, we needed him alive.”   
“What for?” he spat.   
“To see if there are others.”

He started walking through the woods, without even checked if she was following.  “Daryl, wait, dammit!”   
“Why?”   
Angel rolled her eyes.  “I want to check their stuff.  We should take their supplies, see if there’s more ammo and stuff.  You know the protocol.”   
Daryl stopped, but didn’t help her.  Just stood silently as she grabbed what she could.  Then she stood, looking up at the sky.   
“Dammit woman, we need ta go!”   
“You’re going the wrong way.”   
“What the hell ya talkin’ about?”   
“We need to go East.  You’re going South.  I’ll show you,” she stood next to him.  “Okay, see those two stars there? Those are-” 

He slapped her hands out of the way.  “Don’t need a damn school lesson!  Can’t ya just point and keep quiet?”   
The look in her eyes broke his heart.  Holy fuck, he’d hit her.  Not hard, just slapped her hands away,  but it wasn’t in a playful way.  She pointed and he pushed past her and started walking.  Again, not checking to see if she was behind him or not.

The 1 ½ hour walk back was silent.  Daryl was pissed.  The rabbits were gone, the whole day was a waste.  He stopped and turned to her.  “Why’d ya take their shit?”   
“Because we’re supposed to.”   
“Do ya even think, woman?  They’re gonna ask where we got this shit.  What do we say, huh?”   
Okay, this was getting clear now.  Daryl was ashamed of what happened, even though nothing really had.  Those guys were going to rape him.  They had him tied up and staked out.

“I was just going to say we came upon a recently abandoned camp.  That it had all the signs of walkers coming through.  We searched for survivors, and that’s why we were gone so late.  There were none, so we took the supplies.”   
Daryl said nothing.  Angel took a step toward him.  “Daryl, it’s ok.”   
“It ain’t ok!” he yelled.  “Why the hell didn’t you listen to me and go back to Alexandria?”

“I wasn’t sure if I could outrun them.  I decided my best bet was to shimmy up a tree and wait for the three of you to pass…”   
“And you just happened to pick a tree right at their camp?”   
Busted.  “Well….”   
“God dammit woman!  Can’t ya do a damn thing right?  Can’t ya do one damn thing I tell ya?”   
“Now wait just a goddamn minute, Daryl!”  She was yelling now, too.  “I just saved your life, and literally, your ass!  If I’d gone back to Alexandria, we wouldn’t have gotten back to you yet!  And with nightfall, they might have elected to wait until morning!  Is that what you want?  To be their ‘special friend’ all night?  You should be thanking me!”  Angel had gotten in his face to say that, and Daryl did something he never thought he’d do.  He shoved her.  Hard.  So hard that she stumbled backwards and fell.

Angel looked up at him completely shocked.  She wasn’t the only one.  Daryl couldn’t believe he’d done that.  After all the years of watching his dad smack his mom around, he’d promised himself that he’d NEVER do that to anyone.  Angel just sat there on the ground looking at him.    
He took a step toward her, “Angel, baby, I’m so sorry…”  Before he could get close to her, she jumped up and took a step back.  She stood with her side facing him, hands up, eyes on the ground.  It was a submissive but defensive stance.    
It reminded him of an abused dog. 

It reminded him of himself.

He took another step toward her, and she took another step back.   _ ‘Shit shit shit!  _  he yelled in his head.   _ ‘How could you fucking do that?  You SWORE you would never do that and you do it to the person you most care about!  You love her and you blew it!’ _

 

Angel started to walk by, arms length away, and softly said, “We need to get back.”  The rest of the walk was quiet.  When they got back, Deanna was called since they brought back supplies and ammo, and Angel stuck to her story.  The only food the hillbillies had was some deer jerky and water, and Angel asked if they could have it as they hadn’t eaten.  Deanna okayed it, and took the rifles and ammo to the armory.  Daryl and Angel walked back to the house.  Daryl went to his room, shut the door and sat on the bed.  He would have to sleep in there tonight.  Without Angel.  He couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept without her. He didn’t know how or if he could fix this, and was angry and ashamed.

 

In Angel’s room, she also shut the door and sat on her bed.  She didn’t want Daryl in her room that night.  Period.  She opened the door to use the bathroom.  Daryl heard it from his room, and had a glimmer of hope that she was coming to him.  Instead, her heard her go into the bathroom, and his heart broke.  He went downstairs and went into the ubiquitous junk drawer and found a notepad and a pen.  He quickly scribbled a note, went upstairs quietly and left it on her pillow, then went back to his room and laid down on his bed.

 

Angel entered her room and saw something on the pillow,  a piece of paper folded in half.  She sat down and opened it.   
_ “Angel, _

_ I can say sorry a million times and it won’t be enough.  I swore I’d never raise a hand to a women after seeing my dad hit my ma.  But tonight I put my hands on you.  After those guys touching me, my head ain’t on straight at all.  Ain’t no excuse for what I done.  If you feel like you ain’t safe, tell me, and I'll leave Alexandria.  I feel like a damn monster.  Just tell me what you want, and I’ll do it.  I’ll leave the house, I’ll leave the town.  Anything you want. _

_ You’re my world.  You mean everything to me.  _ _   
_ _ Daryl” _

 

Angel read it over twice, both times tearing up at the last line, “You mean everything to me.”  She needed time to think.  Putting the note on her nightstand, she turned off the light and attempted to fall asleep.


	29. Chapter 29

Angel woke up after a night of fitful sleep, at best, got dressed and went downstairs to make coffee.  As she waited for it to be ready, she heard a small cough behind her.  She turned to find Daryl standing there.  He looked at her then to the floor.  “Hey,” he said so quietly she could barely hear him.

“Um, hey, “Angel replied.  “Want some coffee?”

Daryl looked up at her through his shaggy bangs.  “Ya okay if I do?”   
“Yeah.  I think...I think we need to talk.”

They got their coffee and sat down at the kitchen island in silence.   .     
Angel smiled and said, “I liked the note.”   
“I ain’t…..real good with words.  But I couldn’t let ya go to sleep thinkin’ I’m a monster.  I meant everythin’ I said.”

“You’d leave the house for me?”   
He glanced up at her and said softly, “Yeah.  I’d leave the town if it made ya feel safer.  Never fit in here anyway….”   
“I don’t want you to leave the house.  And I definitely don’t want you to leave Alexandria.”   
Daryl looked up at her.  “Really?”   
“Really.  But….I think maybe we need to stay in separate rooms for a while.  Daryl, you pushed me.  You got physical.  That’s not ok.  Now, I’m not innocent in this, I know that.  I didn’t even think about how….what happened would affect you.”

Daryl  stood up and walked over to the sink, his back to her, head down.  “It ain’t what they did...or ‘almost’ did.  It’s that ya saw.  I could get over anythin’ they tried.  I can’t stand that ya saw.  And I shouldn’ta shoved ya.  I ain’t never gonna be ok with that.  Never.”

She looked at angel wings on his back.  He was hurting, and it would take him a while to be ok.  She walked over and made him turn to face her, and brushed the hair back from his face.  “You aren’t alone in this.  I’m here.  And no one needs to know except us.  You sacrificed yourself to try and save me.  And that’s why you are so amazing and important to me.”  She put her arms around him.  “You mean the world to me too, Daryl.”   
He walked back and collapsed on the stool, unable to look at her.   
Finally he raised his head, with disbelief on his face.  “How can ya care about me? I’m just a dirty old redneck.  How can ya care after what I did?”

Angel looked at him.  She shrugged and said, “You are not just a dirty old redneck.  You are so important to so many people.  You’re a hero, and a hunter, and a protector….and a lover…” 

Daryl buried his head in her shoulder.  She could feel him crying, but she didn’t say anything.  He said into her shoulder, “I…..ya mean everything to me, Angel. Ya my whole world.”   
Daryl wasn’t ready for the L word.  He might never be.  But that was good enough for Angel for now.

She pulled back so she could look at him.  He quickly wiped his eyes.  Angel smiled softly at him and said, “If you ever get physical with me again, we’re going to have a problem.”   
“Never.  I promise ya.”   
“I think it would still be best if we slept apart for a few days.  I think we’ve both got some stuff we need to sort out.”   
“Like I said in the note, anything ya want.  I’mma prove myself to ya.  I promise.”

 

Angel headed out to the clinic, stopping at Tobin’s first.  Carol answered her knock on the door.  “Good morning, Angel!  Did you want Tobin for something?”   
“Actually, I wanted you.  Jasmine could go into labor anytime now.  I was wondering if you’d be able to help when the time comes?  I’ll be there with Rosita, but the more hands, the better.”

“Of course!  Just send for me.”

 

At the clinic Angel and Rosita went over all the things they needed for Jasmine to have her babies, and Angel warned Rosita of things she might see.   
“I’m not gonna lie, there’s a lot of blood.”

“I’ve seen a lot of blood.  After all, look at how the world is.”   
“Good point.  I also asked Carol for help.  With two babies coming, I kind of want all hands on deck.  How did meeting with Jessie go?”   
“Amazing!  She had both of her boys through natural childbirth, so she was teaching Jasmine how to do Lamaze breathing.  And she had a copy of ‘What To Expect When You’re Expecting” that she let her have.”   
“Wow.  That was a good call on your part.”

 

Right before she was about to close the clinic, Abraham stopped by.  He wanted to know if Angel wanted to help him with putting barbed wire on the posts instead of working in the tower.  “I remember how easy it was for you to climb up there,” he said, “and I trust you enough to know you’ll do a good job.”  Angel told him that she would love to after she ate lunch.  She went back to the house and made herself a quick sandwich.  Sitting at the kitchen island in her regular spot, she pulled out Daryl’s note and read it again.  The last line swam before her eyes.     
_ “ _ You mean everything to me.”   
How could that man think he wasn’t good with words?  That was his way of telling her he loved her.  And it was so much more.   
“You’re my world.”

He was her world, too.  Part of her was regretting saying they should sleep apart, but part of her knew it was right.  They just needed to sort themselves out.  She knew that Daryl had never gotten physically aggressive with any female before.  She could tell by the look on his face right after he pushed her.  But he needed to find a way to deal with that.  Anger and shame ruled him at that moment, but he couldn’t let it happen again.  Putting the note in her pocket, she headed out to the main gate to help Abraham.

 

Daryl couldn’t believe what he had gotten himself into.  Some sweet old lady a few doors down had sweet talked him into putting some repurposed fencing around her flower beds.  He knew it was the nice thing to do, and she really was a sweet old lady, but crap it was hot out.  He happened to look and saw Angel’s little ass at the top of the main gate.  That was one ass he could spot a mile away.  “Is that your lady friend, the doctor?” the old lady asked, offering him a glass of iced tea.  “Yes ma’am,” he told her, taking a big swallow.

“I haven’t had a chance to meet her properly yet, but I heard she’s very nice.”   
“She is,” he was still watching her, with a little smile on his face.

“Well, she makes you smile.  That’s good.”

Daryl went back to putting up the fencing but kept sneaking looks at her.   _ ‘My woman is badass,’   _ he thought to himself.

 

Angel exited the gates.  There were a few people working on the posts, as well as some armed guards outside with them, and a few extra people in the tower on lookout.  Every one with a weapon had a silencer attached: if a few of those things came through, they couldn’t risk the noise of gunfire attracting a whole herd.  

They worked in groups.  One person would cut  coils of barbed wire off the rolls, and others would climb up and attach them to the top 3 feet of the braces.  Abraham already liked Angel, but he was impressed with how hard she worked.  She came out, pulled that long hair of hers back, put on gloves and got to work.     
  
Angel shimmied up the first brace.  She had a coil of barbed wire in one hand and a staple gun in the other.  Perching her butt on the fence, she leaned over and used the staple gun to attach the wire to it in several different spots, then climbed down the ladder.  She moved the ladder to the next beam, grabbed a coil, and started all over again.  Nice and methodical. 

 

Abraham was impressed with efficient she was, doing two or three beams in the time it took others to do one.  Within a few hours, they were finishing.  Angel was covered in sweat and a few scratches from the wires.  Abraham came over as she was coming down the ladder for the last time.  “Damn, Tiny!  You do good work!”   
“I worked for Habitat For Humanity one summer in college.  Learned a few things about swinging a hammer….or a staple gun,” she smiled.  “I was glad to help.  Nice change of pace.”

 

Heading back to the house, Angel went upstairs to the bathroom to clean her scratches.  She pulled the first aid kit out from under the sink  and took off her shirt, and was cleaning her scratches when Daryl got home.

Daryl opened the door and it seemed like no one was home, so he decided to go ahead and shower.  He was sweaty from working in the sun all day for that sweet old lady.  He went up the stairs quietly, as always.  And there was his Angel, standing in her bra.  “Hey…”  He was really going to have to come up with another greeting.

 

Angel turned and gave him a small smile.  “Hey yourself.”  When she turned, he saw all the scratches on her and panicked.  “Oh crap, baby, what happened?  Oh god, it wasn’t a walker was it?  Who did this to ya?”  He crossed the room and wrapped his arms around her.

“Daryl….Daryl….will you please unhook yourself from me?”  He dropped his arms and took a step back.   
“I’m fine.  These are just scratches from the barbed wire.  I’m just cleaning them.  Can you help?  I managed to get my arms and chest, but I can’t get my back.”   
“Yeah, sure.  Turn around.”  He picked up the bottle of rubbing alcohol and a cotton ball, and gently started cleaning her scratches.  She hissed from the sting, and he gently blew on it, and her heart melted.  

“Ya want some bandages on ‘em?”   
“No, I can wait until tomorrow.  I may not even need them.”   
He nodded.  “Ya hungry?”   
“A little bit.  I’ll go fix something.”   
“Nah, ya had a long day...I’ll get somethin’, just let me have a quick shower.”   
“Your day was just as long as mine.”   
“Woman, will ya relax?  I got it.”  His tone was light and he smiled.

“Ok, boss.  I’m gonna go read for a bit.  If you need my help in the kitchen, let me know, ok?”   
“Sure.”

 

Angel left the bathroom so he could shower in peace, but all she wanted was his arms around her again.  She sighed to herself.  She knew being separate for a while was a good thing, but it was hard.  Searching the shelves in the living room, she found a book that looked interesting and stretched out on the couch to read.

 

Daryl couldn’t help when he’d put his arms around her.  For a moment, he thought he might lose her - he was relieved she was ok.  He showered quickly and headed downstairs to fix dinner.  Poking his head into the living room, he saw Angel asleep on the couch with a book on her chest, and smiled.  She had once told him that the sofa must be filled with sleeping gas, every time she got on it, she was out like a light.   He gently removed the book from her chest, marking her spot, and covered her with the light blanket they kept on the back of the couch.  Weighing his options for a moment, he leaned down and gently kissed her forehead.  She murmured and stirred in her sleep, but didn’t wake.  Daryl headed into the kitchen and quietly made dinner.

 

Angel woke up to a fantastic smell in the house.  She saw her book on the table with a little slip of paper as a bookmark, and noticed she had the blanket on her.  Aw, Daryl.  The best part was that he wasn’t trying to get back in her good graces, this was just how he was.  Everyone thought he was all gruff, but with her, he was a big softie.  She folded up the blanket and when she walked into the kitchen, he was setting the table, putting things down as quietly as possible.  Smiling, she said, “Something smells good.”

He returned her smile.  “Baked chicken with potatoes and carrots.”   
“Fancy fancy!”   
“Naw.  It was easy.”

They had a lovely dinner, with Daryl telling her about the repurposed fencing he did for the older lady down the street.  Angel asked him, “How’d you get talked into doing that?”  He explained that as he walked by, the woman had asked him if he knew if it was possible to do what she wanted.  He had told her yes, it would be super easy, that he could do it in an afternoon.  Next thing he knew, he was digging the holes for the little posts in the heat.  “Saw ya working on the fences while I was there.”   
“Oh yeah?”   
“Yeah.  Saw ya ass sitting up on the fence.  I’d know that ass anywhere…” he turned red and smiled.  Angel laughed and rolled her eyes.

After dinner, they did the dishes, then sat in the living room.  Angel read out loud for a bit while Daryl rubbed her feet.  She didn’t ask him to, she was stretched out on the couch, and had moved her feet so he could sit down.  When he did, he grabbed her feet and put them on his lap, and just started sort of absentmindedly rubbing them, not even really thinking about it.  They were both craving some kind of “safe” physical contact, and that seemed to work.  They headed up to bed and Daryl walked her to her bedroom door.   
“‘Night, Angel.”   
“‘Night, Daryl.”  She turned to go, but he spoke again.   
“Angel?”   
“Yeah.”   
“Can….can  I hug ya goodnight?  I promise I won’t touch ya anywhere I’m not s’posed ta…”   
“Yeah, I think I’d like that.”   
Daryl put his arms around her, and dropped his head down on top of hers, smelling that sweet smell that was just Angel.  After less than a minute, he let her go, but leaned down and kissed her forehead.   
“‘Night, Angel.  If ya  need anything, just holler.”   
“I will.”   
  
The next morning Daryl went to see Rick.  He had to talk to someone, and he knew Rick wouldn’t judge….and would keep his secret.  Rick was sitting at the kitchen table just finishing feeding Judith her breakfast.  He hollered, “Come on in,” when Daryl knocked.  Coming into the kitchen, he saw Rick wiping down the little girls messy face and started to chuckle.  “Yeah, she wears more than she eats these days,” Rick told him.  As soon as she saw him, she smiled and raised her arms for him to pick her up, and Daryl obliged.  That little girl had the big gruff redneck wrapped around her chubby little finger. 

Rick started to clean up and asked him, “To what do I owe the pleasure?”   
“Ah….just wanted to see my little girlfriend here.”   
Rick quirked an eyebrow at Daryl, and decided the dishes could wait.  He sat down across from Daryl, folded his arms, and said, “What’s on your mind brother?”

Daryl wasn’t sure where to start.  He took and deep breath and said, “What I gotta tell ya, ya can’t tell nobody.  Not Carl, not Jessie, and definitely not Deanna, ok?  Ya gotta swear.”

“Okay, I promise, I swear.  What’s going on?   
“”Member how me and Angel said we found that stuff the other day from that abandoned camp?”   
“Yeah.”   
“We wasn’t exactly tellin’ the truth….”

Daryl told Rick everything.  From telling Angel to run, to the guys almost raping him, to him shoving her and knocking her down.  Rick listened intently and saw Daryl’s shame at hurting her.  They both sat quietly for a long time afterward.  Finally, Rick said, “You won’t get any judgement from me for what happened.  It’s not like those were good guys in a bad situation.  It’s not like you could have brought them back here.  Seems like you saved Angel’s life, and then she saved yours.”

“I can’t stand that I hurt her.  And...I can’t stand that she saw them touch me like they did.  Don’t want her to think I’m less of a man.”   
“I don’t think she does.  Remember what almost happened to Carl when the group you were with found us?  Do you think any less of Carl?”   
“Hell naw.  He’s the bravest kid I know.”

“Well there you go.  Your secret is safe with me.  Angel doesn’t think any less of you, I don’t think any less of you, AND…” he said, smiling, “I’m positive that your little girlfriend there doesn’t think any less of you, either.”  Judith was fast asleep in Daryl’s arms.   
Daryl smiled down at her.  “Well, she’s the only one I’m really tryin’ ta impress.  I’ll go put her down.  I gotta go dig a few more fence posts for that old lady today.”

 

Rosita and Angel were in the clinic together when suddenly Rosita asked her, “Are you okay?  You seem a little quiet today.”

“Yeah.  Me and Daryl….we had a bit of a fight.”

“Oh no, I’m sorry.  Do you wanna talk about it?”

“I can’t, really,” Angel told her, knowing that Daryl would not want it known that he was almost raped.  “But...we’re back to sleeping in separate rooms for the time being.”   
Rosita’s eyes went wide.  “That bad?”   
“Yeah.  I think we’ll be okay, but we just need to sort out some shit on our own, you know?”   
Rosita hugged Angel.  “I’m here for you, for whatever you need, okay?”

Angel smiled and thanked her.

 

That afternoon she didn’t have to work in the tower, so she went back to the house.  The days were starting to get a little cooler, so she started chopping up some vegetables and took some deer meat out of the freezer to make a stew.  When it was almost done, Daryl came in.   
“Damn, girl.  Somethin’ smells good.”  He went over to the stove and tried to sneak a taste, but Angel shooed him away.  “Go take a shower.  It won’t be ready for another half hour.  Besides, you’re all sweaty and stinky!”  Daryl laughed and took the steps upstairs two at a time and hopped in the shower.  

All Angel could think about was how badly she wanted to join him.  He *was* sweaty and to anyone else, he was probably stinky.  But damn that man put off some hardcore pheromones.  Gah.  Angel opened the freezer and stuck her head in, trying to cool off.  “What the hell ya doin’, girl?”   
Angel turned around to see Daryl standing there.  He had on a pair of drawstring pants that were low on his hips, and he was wearing a white wife beater with a towel around his neck.  “I was trying to cool off,” she said as she watched a drop of water drip from his hair onto his chest and disappear under his shirt.  She looked back up at his face and he quirked an eyebrow at her, having noticed her blatantly checking him out.  Turning quickly she grabbed two bowls  and filled them both with stew and walked over to the table, plunking them down.

 

Daryl sat down and they ate in silence.  Finally, Daryl said quietly, “I miss ya.”   
“Daryl, don’t,” Angel said, closing her eyes.   
“Why not?  I’m tellin’ the truth.  Miss ya somethin’ terrible.  Can’t hardly sleep without ya next ta me.”

“Me, too.  But Daryl, I just can’t right now.  Please don’t do this,” she said as tears started to fall from her eyes.  She stood up and said, “I’m sorry,” then ran up the stairs to her room, shutting the door.  Daryl hung his head.  He just couldn’t do a damn thing right.


	30. Chapter 30

SOMEWHERE ALONG THE SUSQUEHANA RIVER….

 

Emma had been following Brian since they got dumped in Steelton.  He refused to speak to her, of even acknowledge her, but he had shared some food with her.  His dad had been right: if you feed a stray, it will follow you.  Emma stuck to him like glue, following him from 20 paces behind.  “Come on, Brian, you have to talk to me sooner or later,” Emma whined.  He ignored her as always.  Her whining and nagging had become nothing more than white noise.  “We should go back.  They had no right to make us leave!  We can go back and….and MAKE them let us in!”   
Brian exploded at her.  “‘Make them’?  How stupid are you?  They have guns, Emma.  GUNS.  All we have are a couple of crappy knives!  They will shoot us on sight!  Don’t you get it?  YOU SCREWED UP EVERYTHING YOU STUPID, SLUTTY TWAT!!!!”

“Hey!  You can’t talk like that to me! I’m -” Emma was cut off by Brian shoving her.   
“Shut up, you stupid bitch.  Shut up or I will slit your throat and watch you bleed to death.  You ruined any chance either of us have of surviving.  Hell, if I didn’t know how to fish, we’d both be dead!  You know what?  NO MORE.  Stop following me.  I’m not feeding you, I’m not camping with you.  I am going this way.  If you follow me, you won’t see tomorrow morning.”  And with that, Brian started to walk away.   
Emma was floored.  How dare he push her and walk away!  She ran up to him with the intent of tackling him, but he heard her footsteps  and turned just in time to backhand her, knocking her to the ground.  He said in a frightening voice, “I warned you…” and pulled out his knife.  Emma started scrambling backwards, but she wasn’t quick enough.  He grabbed her by the front of her shirt and raised his knife.  Out of nowhere, a gunshot rang out and Brian fell to the ground dead.  Emma looked around wildly, trying to see who shot him, then raised her arms and shouted, “Whoever you are, I surrender!  Please don’t shoot me!”

A scary looking man shambled out from behind the treeline, along with three others, looking just as scary.  The first man said to her, “Well that’s mighty smart of ya.  Accordin’ to what I saw, he was about ta gut ya.  Why is that?”   
“I don’t know, I just met him out here, he said he’d protect me,” Emma lied.  She then ran over to the lead man, throwing her arms around him and saying, “Oh thank you for saving me, he’s just gone crazy!”   
The man got a creepy smile, and told Emma, “Well then, I reckon ya owe me, don’t’cha, little missy?”   
Emma knew what was going on.  And she knew she could fit in easily with this man and his group.  “I sure do,” she purred.  “It’s been awhile since I seen a real man out here…..”

 

Angel and Daryl had been sleeping apart for three days.  They had coffee in the morning together, dinner together, and afterward they would sit in the living room for awhile and read either aloud to each other or to themselves silently.  In the evening, Daryl would walk Angel upstairs to her room, hug her, and give her a kiss on her forehead.  The sad look on his face every night was just about killing her.  He would walk away to his own room every night with his head down, and remind her to just holler if she needed anything.  It was an unhappy time for the both of them.

 

Harlan had gone on a quick run with Abraham to get a few more things from the nearby construction site, it wouldn’t take more than a couple of hours.  Daryl was walking Angel to the clinic, chatting about what kind of meat they had at the house and whether or not he needed to go on a hunt.  Jasmine was on her porch folding some cloth diapers in preparation for her twins.  Daryl and Angel waved to her, with Daryl calling out, “Hey, Jazz.  Doin’ ok?”   
“Yep, just fine over here!”  She stood up and stretched, then suddenly doubled over, grabbing her stomach, and crying out, “Oh no!”   
Daryl and Angel both ran to her, Angel asking, “Are you okay?”  But when they got to the porch they saw that Jasmine’s water had broken.   
“Oh no!  I stood up, I thought I had to pee!  This isn’t pee, is it?”  Jasmine asked.

“No it isn’t, looks like your twins are ready to meet the world!”   
“But I can’t!  Harlan isn’t here!  I can’t do this without him!”

As luck would have it, Rick happened by on patrol.  Angel called him over and explained the situation, telling him to send someone out after Harlan and to tell Carol to get to the clinic immediately.  Rick ran off to take care of things.   
Angel and Daryl helped Jasmine down her front steps.  She was walking very carefully and slowly, obviously frightened.  Finally Daryl muttered, “This ain’t gonna cut it,” and picked her up in her arms like she was a baby.  Jasmine said to him, “Mr. Dixon, you put me down right now!”   
“No chance, lady.  We need to get you to the clinic NOW.”  Another contraction seized Jasmine, and she stopped her argument.

Angel followed closely behind, touched by what Daryl was doing.  He was being extremely careful and gentle with the pregnant woman, and when she had her contraction, he slowed his steps to keep from jostling her about.  When they finally got to the door, Angel ran ahead and opened it, yelling, “Rosita, it’s time!”  

Apparently they had planned and prepared for this.  Rosita opened the stirrups on the table and drew the curtain around it.  “Okay Jasmine, we need to get you out of these clothes and into a gown.  I’ll help you,” Rosita told her.   
Angel and Daryl stepped outside the curtain to give her some privacy.  Angel went to scrub up and Daryl said, “I’ll get outta yer way…”  But Angel told him, “Don’t you dare.  You get to be Jasmine’s coach until Harlan gets here.”   
“I don’t know what ta do!”   
“Look, all you need to do is help her sit up when I tell you.  That’s it.”   
Rosita poked her head out and said, “We’re ready.”   
  
Daryl came around the curtain and walked up to where Jasmine was breathing, telling her, “Uh,I can help ya until ya man gets here….”   
Jasmine grabbed his hand in hers, and said, “Thank you, I’m so scared…”   
“Nothin’ ta be scared of.  Ladies been having babies since long before hospitals were made.  An’ ya got Doc Angel here.  Got the best care anyone could get.”  

Angel smiled up at him.  She checked Jasmine.  “Lady, have you been having contractions today?”   
“Uh….well….I ate some pickles again last night.  I thought maybe it was just gas again.”   
“No….you’re already dilated.  Like, a whole lot.”

“Is that bad?”   
“Well, no.  You obviously weren’t in distress….” she pulled out her stethoscope and listened to her belly, “...and the babies aren’t either.  Everything is fine.”   
Jasmine sighed in relief and Daryl said, “See?  Got the best of care.”     
Carol came running in, and let Jasmine know that Glenn had taken a vehicle to go fetch Harlan, and then busied herself getting the incubator warmed up.   
An hour went by of Jasmine having contractions, and Daryl being a calming voice for her.  He had her squeeze his hand until the contraction passed, and got her some water to sip and a cool cloth for her head without being asked.  Rosita and Carol were rubbing Jasmine’s legs so they wouldn’t get cramps.  Every time Jasmine had a contraction, Daryl would say, “You’re doin’ real good.  Just think how great it’s gonna be ta meet ya little ones!”

Angel told her, “Oh boy!  I think one of them is ready to come out!  Someone’s peeking at me!”

“No, no!”  Jasmine cried.  “Harlan isn’t here!  I can’t do this without him!”   
Daryl said, “I don’t think ya got much of a choice, sweetheart.  These little ones wanna meet’cha.  Don’t ya wanna get ‘em out here where ya can hold ‘em and love on ‘em?”   
“I’m so scared!”   
“Don’t be scared Jazzy.  We’re all here.  We ain’t gonna let nothin’ bad happen to ya.  Ok?”   
Jasmine took a shaky breath, and said, “Ok…”

 

Angel told her, “Ok when I count to three, you,” she said, looking at Daryl, “are gonna help her sit up, and you,” she looked at Jasmine, “are gonna push.  Ready?  One, two, three, PUSH!”  Daryl eased her up into a sitting position, and Jasmine pushed with all her might.  “Okay, take a breath!”  Daryl eased her back down, telling her, “Ya doin’ real good, Jazzy!  Real good!” and Jasmine panted with exertion.  

Jasmine whimpered, “Where is my husband, THE BASTARD!”  The room grew quiet at her outburst, no one had ever heard her swear before.  Then Angel burst out laughing, and everyone else followed, Jasmine included.   
“Well,” Angel commented, “I’m sure the bastard will be here any minute now….ok, get ready to push again!  One, two, three, PUSH!”  Again, Daryl eased her up and she pushed, then he gently lowered her down.  This went on for a few more minutes, then Angel said, “Almost there, Jazz!  The head is crowning!”  Carol and Rosita were both there, and Rosita said, “The baby has a full head of hair!” and Jasmine started laughing and crying.   
“Ok, sweetie,” Angel told her, “we’re real close!  Just a few more big pushes, and we’ll meet your first baby!”   
True to her word, after two big pushes on Jasmine’s part, her first baby came out into the world.  Angel cleared it’s mouth, it took a big breath of life, and let out a lusty little wail.  Harlan burst in the room just in time to hear Angel announce, “Baby #1 is a girl!  You have a daughter!”  Harlan let out a whoop and everybody laughed and cheered.  Some people had gathered out in the waiting room, and Harlan opened the door and yelled out, “I got a daughter!”  There were cheers and yells of “Congratulations!”

Angel cut the cord and handed the baby to Carol who took her to the incubator to warm her up.  Harlan came over and kissed Jasmine, telling her, “We came back as fast as we could.”  Daryl started to slink away, but Angel told him, “Don’t go too far, we might need you.”   
“For what?”   
“Well, daddies have been known to pass out.  You’re the backup coach.”   
“Um...okay.  I guess.”   
Daryl went over to take a look at the newborn daughter while Carol fussed over her.  Carol asked him, “Remember when Judith was this tiny?”   
A smile played at his lips and he said, “Yep.  Never forget it.”   
  
Angel was coaching Jasmine through the birth of the second child, and it wasn’t easy.  Jasmine was pushing and pushing, but the baby was being stubborn.  Finally Jasmine said, “Oh god, it feels like it’s coming out…”

Angel gently inserted her fingers into Jasmine to help ease the baby out, then shouted, “Jasmine, stop pushing RIGHT NOW!”  Everyone turned to Angel who was prodding inside Jasmine.  Taking a deep breath, she looked at the young, frightened couple and told them, “The baby is breech.”  Harlan looked confused, so she explained, “It’s backwards.  I have to try and turn it around.”

 

Jasmine started to cry, and Harlan did his best to comfort her.  Suddenly Angel said, “Daryl, come here, I need you.”  He appeared at her side, trying not to look at Jasmine’s privates, and she said quietly, “I can’t turn it around.”

Daryl replied, “Why not?”   
“I don’t exactly have a lot of room to turn it!  Listen to me very, very carefully.  I think the cord is wrapped around the baby’s neck.  I need to get the baby out NOW.  When it comes out, I need you to loop you finger around the cord and unhook it, okay?”   
Daryl gulped.  “Gotta be someone more qualified…”   
“Daryl.  Help me.  Please.”

He looked at the pleading eyes of Angel and the frightened eyes of both Harlan and Jasmine.  No babies were going to die on his watch.  He nodded.

“Ok, Jasmine, listen to me,” Angel stated.  “We need to get this baby out NOW.  When I tell you, I want you to push, and keep on pushing.  Ready?  One, two, three, PUSHPUSHPUSH!”  Jasmine grunted and cried out, pushing with all her strength.

Angel started to ease out baby #2, feet first.  Grabbing it’s little ankles, she pulled gently, and he slowly slid out.  The cord was around it’s neck, and Daryl quickly unhooked it, without hesitation.  

The baby was blue.

 

Angel cleared it’s mouth, but nothing happened.  She started rubbing it’s little chest, saying, “Come on, sweetheart.  Just one little breath.  Come on, BREATHE!”

The room was filled with the sound of Jasmine’s wails.  “Why isn’t my baby crying?”

Angel flipped the tiny body over in her hand so it was face down, and started rubbing its back.  Still nothing.  She was sweating and crying herself.  “Please, baby.  Come on, please…”  Finally, she drew her hand back and gave it a sound smack on it’s little bottom.  

 

The baby started crying.

 

Angel wanted to do a cartwheel.  Instead she told Jasmine and Harlan, “You have a son!”  Harlan declined on cutting the cord, he was looking a little green around the gills from the amount of blood.  Angel cut it, telling the infant, “You go right ahead and cry, that was a very mean thing I did to you, and I’ll never do it again!”

 

The babygirl had been crying in the incubator, but once Carol placed the baby boy inside to swaddle him, she quieted right down, as did the baby boy.  Twins have a bond like no other, and it starts in utero.  Carol and Rosita offered to take over so Daryl and Angel could take a breath.  Harlan went out into the waiting room announcing the birth of a son as well, and Daryl and Angel headed out the back door.  There was a bench out there and Angel sat down on it, while Daryl stood against the wall, hands in pockets, head down.

She said, “You know, it’s okay to sit next to me….”  He sat down and they were quiet for a few minutes.  Finally, Angel spoke.  “Ever seen a baby be born before?”

“Nope.”

“Have I scarred you for life?”   
He snorted.  “Naw.  It was….amazin’....never seen anything like it before….”

“You did real good in there, Daryl.  Helped me save that baby’s life.  If we were back in the regular world, I’d take you out and buy you a drink….” Angel trailed off.

Daryl reached into his pocket, pulled out a flask, and handed it to her.  She smiled and said, “Seriously?”  He just shrugged.  “If ya don’t want it…”   
“I didn’t say that!” she laughed pulling it out of his reach.  Sniffing it, she said, “Ew, smells like paint thinner…”  Taking a sip she started coughing and said, “God, I think it IS paint thinner!”  Daryl reached for it again, and she held it out of his reach saying, “I like paint thinner!” and took a few more sips before handing it back.   
Deanna popped into the back yard.  “If you’d like, the two of you can have the rest of today and tomorrow off, in light of the birth of the twins.”   
They thanked her and she disappeared back inside. “Shall we go and meet the babies?” Angel asked, and Daryl nodded.

 

Jasmine was doing double duty with a baby on each breast.  Poor Daryl wasn’t sure where to look.  He knew there was nothing wrong with it, hell, that’s what breasts were for.  He just didn’t want anyone to think he was checking Jasmine out.

Angel asked her, “So how are we doing, Mama?”  Jasmine beamed and said, “Pretty good. Tired, but good.  Carol was saying we should stay here at least overnight?”   
“Yeah.  Just to be on the safe side.  Carol will be here all day.  Looks like Rosita already took off to get some sleep and she’ll be here overnight, and of course, they can come for me if they need to.  We have a cot that Harlan can sleep on.  Have you come up with names yet?”

Jasmine looked at Harlan and they smiled at each other.  She told Angel and Daryl, “Yes.  We’d like to name our daughter Breanna Angel, and our son David Daryl.  Breanna was his mom’s name and David was my dad’s name.  But we’d like them to have your names for their middle names.  I mean, if that’s okay?”   
Angel was floored, as was Daryl.  She got a little teary and choked up, but managed to say, “I’d be honored!”  Daryl managed to get out, “Me, too.”   
The babies were done eating, and Daryl averted his eyes as Jasmine unlatched the babies and covered her breasts back up.  “Would you like to hold them?”

Angel picked up little David, while Daryl held tiny little Breanna.  Angel laughed and said, “He’s giving me the stink eye!  I’m sorry I spanked you, and I swear I’ll never do it again!”  She looked over and Daryl had locked eyes with little Breanna.  He whispered, “She won’t stop lookin’ at me.  Prolly wonderin’ who the hell I am.”   
Harlan said, “They’ll learn.  You guys are family.  Everyone here is our family now.”

Jasmine’s eyes started to close, she was exhausted, so they handed the babies to Carol one at a time.  She unwound the blanket form Breanna and put her in first.  Angel tried to tell her there was no need to unwrap them, but Carol told her, “Just watch this.”  As she laid little David down, Breanna reached over and touched her tiny hand to his.  Both babies visibly relaxed and fell right to sleep.  Raising her eyebrows, Carol said, “I’d read about stuff like that with twins, but this is the first time I’ve seen it first hand.  That is amazing.”  She lightly covered them with a blanket.

 

Angel and Daryl decided to head home and take a nap before dinner.  As they walked in the house, Angel asked, “Daryl….would you like to nap with me?  I really do need some sleep after all that, but….damn I really miss you.”

He put his arms around her, telling her, “Hell yeah.  Missed ya something terrible.”

 

Up the stairs they went.


	31. Chapter 31

Angel walked up the stairs with Daryl following.  He was watching that tight little ass of hers sway back and forth as she climbed the stairs, and trying to will away the erection the sight was giving him.  They reached Angel’s bedroom door, and although Angel entered, Daryl hung back.  He was back to feeling uncomfortable, head down, hands in pockets, standing at her doorway.  She turned and said, “Daryl, what’s wrong?”   
“I wasn’t sure if ya wanted me in here.”   
“I said I wanted you to nap with me.”   
“And then what?”   
Angel’s brow wrinkled in confusion.  “What do you mean?”   
“After we take a nap.  Am I back to rubbin’ ya feet - which I don’t mind, because at least I get ta touch ya - and sleepin’ alone?  ‘Cause if that’s it, well, maybe I should just nap in my own room.”  

Angel could tell he hated saying that.  “Daryl, that wasn't my intention.  I hate sleeping apart from you. I can’t sleep for shit if you aren't snoring away next to me, apparently,” she chuckled and continued, “I miss waking up with your hand on my ass!”

That made Daryl chuckle as well, and he asked, “So we’re good?”   
“We’re very good.  I miss you.”   
He walked into her room, put his arms around her and said, “I missed ya too.  A whole lot.”   
“So I feel.”   
Daryl realized that his hard on was pressed against her.  He turned pink and tried to move away but she held on to him, telling him, “It’s okay, baby.  I don’t mind.  I’ve never had anyone who was always so excited by me.”

“Musta been datin’ morons.”

“Pretty much, yeah.”   
“Can...can I kiss ya?”   
Angel smiled.  “My plan was to come back and take a nap because I was so tired.  But I think we should change those plans…”   
He leaned down and kissed her, and it was like coming home.  “God babygirl, missed ya so fuckin’ much…”

Angel pulled him tightly against her.  For the last three days she had felt like she was drowning.  Now she felt like she could finally breathe.

Daryl placed kisses down along her jaw and neck, hitting that one little spot that only he seemed to find, making her gasp.  She could feel him smiling against her neck as he said, “There it is,” more to himself than her.  He gently sucked on it, and ran his hands down her back to the hem of her t-shirt.  Pulling away, he paused and asked her, “Is this ok?”  She nodded and he slowly peeled the shirt off of her body, admiring the view as he went.

She pushed his angel wing vest off of his shoulders, then slowly unbuttoned his sleeveless flannel shirt and pushed it off as well.

Angel started to walk towards the bed, but Daryl stopped her.  He knelt down and unlaced and removed her boots and socks, gently kissing the top of one foot and then the other, then helped her take off her pants. He stood, never talking his eyes off of her and removed his boots and pants as well.  They were in the middle of the room, both in their underwear, just looking at each other.  Daryl put his hands on her shoulders, and walked her back until she was against the wall, like the first night they were together.  He reached behind her and unhooked her bra, slowly sliding it off her arms and dropping it to the floor.  He slid his hands gently over shoulders, and down over her breasts, cupping them briefly, across her stomach, and to her hips.  He hooked his fingers into her panties, and kneeled in front of her to pull them off.  Still on his knees, he circled his arms around her waist tightly, pressing his head against her stomach, and just held her.

Daryl mumbled something.  Angel, running her fingers through his long hair, asked, “What did you say?”  Turning his head up to her he said, “I’m sorry I ever hurt ya.” Pulling him into a standing position, she told him, “Stop.  It’s old news.  We’re going forward now.”

He leaned down and started kissing her again, his tongue sliding easily into her mouth, and she shoved down his boxer briefs and gripped his hard cock, eliciting a gasp from him.

“Damn, babygirl, feels like ya ain’t touched me in a million years.”   
“Never again,” she promised.

Angel continued working his hard cock with her hand, and he reached down to find her already wet.  “Always so fuckin’ wet for me, baby…”   
Daryl pulled her hands off of his cock and put them over his shoulders.  Giving her a devilish grin, he told her, “Best hang on, lady, time to ride!”

He grabbed her by her thighs, causing her legs to wrap around him, and entered her in one smooth motion.

She opened her eyes wide and gasped, “Oh my god!”

He pinned her against the wall with his body, and savored the feeling of her wrapped around him.  She locked her ankles behind his back, and as he began to slowly thrust inside her, she closed her eyes.  Daryl told her, “Nuh uh babygirl.  Open those beautiful eyes.”  Angel opened her eyes, and looked into his.  He was practically nose to nose with her, and neither would look away.  Angel was overcome by emotion.

“Oh, Daryl. I….I…..”   
“I know, babygirl.  I know.”   
She felt tears flowing out of her eyes, and Daryl reached out with one hand to wipe them away, telling her, “Shhh.  It’s okay, babygirl.  I gotcha.  I ain’t goin’ nowhere.”

 

Daryl pulled away from the wall, still buried in her, and carried her like she weighed nothing over to the bed, and laid her down very gently.  Still being gentle with her, he began to slide in and out of her, eyes locked.  Pulling her hands away from his neck, he intertwined his fingers with hers, and pinned them above her head.  Angel let out a long breathy moan, and he gave her a little smirk, telling her, “Damn, I love the sounds ya make.”

Angel began thrusting her hips up to meet him, and he picked up the pace.     
Daryl was kissing her face and neck, and was whispering in her ear, “My world, babygirl, ya my world….”

They hit their orgasms simultaneously, and were both blindsided.  Angel threw her head back, arching her back, and crying out Daryl’s name, while Daryl groaned out her name in a way she had never heard before.

They just looked at each other for a few moments.  Then Daryl buried his face in Angel’s neck.  She whispered in his ear something he thought he’d never hear.

 

“I love you, Daryl Dixon.”

 

Angel felt Daryl stiffen in her arms.  She was worried he’d bolt, but he didn’t.  He kept his face buried in her neck and said, “C-could ya say it again?”   
“I love you.”   
“No,” he raised his head.  “Could ya say it again, with my name?”     
Looking at him, Angel could see the scared little boy he used to be.  He was still scared.  Scared that she’d take it all back, tell him he heard her wrong, tell him she’d never love him.  That look on his face told her he’d never had anyone say it to him.  Ever.   
Angel put her hands on the sides of his face, looked into his beautiful blue eyes, and said, “I love you, Daryl Dixon,” then gave a small smile and added, “Deal with it.”

He huffed out a small laugh and hid his face in her neck again.  She whispered in his ear, “I know it’s a little scary, but it’s okay.”   
He raised his face again, looking at her, and said, “I wanna say….I ain’t ready…” and looked away.  Before he had a chance to pull away, she told him, “Hey, it’s okay.  I didn’t say it to hear you say it back.  I said it because I feel it.  You tell me I mean the world to you.  That’s more than enough.  Now, how about that nap?”   
“Hell yeah.”   
They curled up together and were soon fast asleep.

  
  


SOMEWHERE NEAR THE SUSQUEHANNA RIVER….

 

Emma had managed to ingratiate herself with this new group.  It was mostly men with one or two women.  The women never stayed long.  Emma  tried not to think what had happened to them.  She was fucking the leader, and if she needed to fuck her way down the line to survive, so be it.  They kept finding these stupid women who just didn’t see how things worked.  If you shut up, fucked someone, and didn’t ask too many questions, you’d be fine.  Sometimes these women would try to run away….to where?  Stupid, stupid women.  Just keep your mouth shut and fuck some people, and they’d feed you and keep you safe.  It was a small price to pay.   
Emma was the favorite of the leader of the group, Jacob.  She had been fucking him good and hard since he’d found her (and killed Brian) up the river a ways.  She fucked, sucked, and did anything else with anyone he told her anytime he said.  Didn’t bother her in the least.  What did bother her, however, was how they were living.  In tents, constantly on the move.  Never too far from the river, as hunting game is better near a water source, plus fish were plentiful.  But Emma missed the little luxuries of Alexandria, like hot running water, flushing toilets, electricity, and a guarded wall between her and the walkers.

“Hey Jacob?”   
“What the hell do you want now, woman?  Swear sometimes I get tired of the sound of yer voice.”   
“Wouldn’t it be nice if we could stay in one spot?”   
“Fuck yer an idiot!  Impossible with them dead heads walkin’ ‘round.”   
“But what if it wasn’t?  What if there was a safe place with houses, running water, ‘lectricity,  and plenty of food?”   
“Yer dreamin’ woman.  Ain’t no safe place no more.  Shut up afore I shove my dick in yer mouth.”

“But there IS a place like that!  I was there!  They made me leave, but I bet we could take it from them.”   
Now she had Jacob’s full attention.  “I’m listenin’,” he told her.

Emma told him all about Alexandria.  How a bitchy doctor lady framed her for something she didn’t do (truth was never her strong suit).  How they had not only really nice houses to live in, but plenty of food and water...even some booze!  How it was surrounded by a big metal wall, safe from the “dead heads”.

“They got fields that people till, and animals for breeding and slaughter, plus, my boyfriend there, Daryl, is a really good hunter and tracker.”   
“Yer boyfriend?”   
“Well, he was until that doctor bitch set me up.  I never even got a chance to defend myself.  They just drove me out here and left me.”   
“Where was this place?”   
“It was in Alexandria, Virginia.”   
“Could ya draw me a map?”   
“No, they blindfolded me to dump me out here.  But if we got into Virginia, I bet I could find it from there.”   
“They got women?”   
“Yeah, lots of them!  Young, old, tall, short, chubby, skinny…”   
“How young?  They got little girls?  Tony’s got a thing for ‘em.”   
Emma hesitated.  That was kind of gross.  But fuck it, no one there stood up for her.  “Yep!” she told him.  “Some as young as 5…” she thought back to Rick’s kids, “and even a baby.”

Jacob thought as he scratched his chin.  “Hmm..might be a good place ta set up housekeepin’.  Maybe we could take it.  Make the residents do the work, and take the rewards.  Lots of women, too…”  Emma was a good fuck, but variety is the spice of life, his daddy used to say.  “They got firepower?”   
“Well….yeah.”   
“Hmm. Might be worth checkin’ out.  Might be worth the gas we burn.  Talk about it more in the mornin’.   
“Yes sir.”   
Jacob was asleep within minutes.  Emma laid back in the tent and smiled into the darkness.  That Angel bitch was going to get what what was coming to her.  Daryl would see that Angel was weak and useless, and she’d finally get him.  Maybe she’d see about keeping Angel alive for a bit, just for fun.  Make her work in the fields on a hot day.  Make her wait on Emma hand and foot.   _ ‘You stupid stuck up bitch,’    _ Emma thought.   _ ‘You messed with the wrong girl.  You’ll see.  You’ll ALL see.’ _  She bit her lip to keep from laughing.

  
  


BACK IN ASZ…..

 

Angel woke up later that afternoon sleeping on her tummy with Daryl’s hand on her bare ass.   _ ‘Everything is right in the world,’ _  she smiled to herself.  She turned her face to Daryl and looked at him.  Damn but he was beautiful.  Why couldn’t he see that?  How could she have been the first person to ever tell him “I love you”?  Fuck that.

“Why ya starin’ at me, girl?” he asked without even opening his eyes.

“How did you know?”   
A smile played on his lips, “Can feel it as sure as if you was touchin’ me.”

“As sure as your hand on my ass?”

He gave it a squeeze and a smack.  “Yep.”

Angel wiggled around a bit.  “Mmmm… that was nice, but not nearly hard enough.”  She slid out of bed and walked to the bathroom naked.

Daryl heard her start the water for a bath.   _ ‘Not hard enough?  Now ya gonna get it….’   _ he thought as he followed her.

 

When he walked in, she had just finished adjusting the water and plugged the tub.  She turned to smile as him, until she saw the predatory look on his face.  It was a look he’d never had with her before, and it scared her a bit.  And kinda turned her on.

He trapped her against the bathroom sink, one arm on either side of her, and didn’t say a word, just stared her down.  The only sound was the water running into the tub.  Daryl leaned into her, his face so close, his lips were only millimeters from hers, she leaned forward to kiss him.

Moving so fast that she hardly knew what was happening, he pulled back and spun her around.

“Daryl, what the- “  Before she could say anything else, he put his hand over her mouth, and she looked at his reflection in the large mirror.  He had that same dangerous look on his face, and said quietly, “Shhh…...now now little girl.  Seems like you felt that smack on your ass wasn’t good enough…”  His free hand traveled across her body, gently tweaking her nipples, then sliding down her stomach and nestling between her legs, stroking his fingers gently along her silky folds.  “Ya got a smart mouth, babygirl.  Maybe I need ta punish ya good and proper.  Sound fair?”

Angel looked at his reflection and he looked back at her, his calm demeanor giving away nothing, but with that same predatory gaze.     
“I think ya like that idea, babygirl.  I can feel ya gettin’ wetter…”  He slid two fingers easily into her, but as she tried to push against them, he slid them out, sucking them clean.  “Ah ah, darlin’.  Ya take ya punishment, then ya can have ya reward.  S’only fair.”  Taking his hand away from her mouth, he gently pressed on her back, and she bent over the counter, never breaking eye contact with him and told him, “Yes sir, I agree.”

Daryl had slapped an ass or two in his time, he knew girls sometimes got off on it.  He’d given a girl a smack or two while fucking them from behind.  Hell, he’d smacked Angel’s ass when they’d fucked in the woods after the Home Depot disaster.  He ran his hands over her perfect ass, then leaned over a whispered in her ear, “Brace yourself, bad girl.”  He watched her grip the edge of the counter, pulled back his hand, and let it fly.

_ Smack! _

The sound almost seemed to echo in the bathroom.  Angel didn’t cry out or say “ouch!” or anything, just let out a tiny, satisfied sigh, and let her eyes slide shut.

_ Smack! _

Angel contentedly rested her head on her arms, like a kitty getting scratched, with a smile on her face.  Daryl leaned down and whispered to her, “Ya ain’t gonna be smilin’ by tha time I’m done with ya…”   
He pulled back his arm and hit her harder.   
_ SMACK! _

This time Angel threw her head back, and cried out, “Fuck yes!”  Now Daryl knew what he was working with.

_ SMACK! _

_ SMACK! _

_ SMACK! _

Daryl kept spanking her, over and over, carefully gauging her physical reactions and the sounds she was making, all positive.

_ SMACK! _ _   
_ “Daryl, yes!”   
_ SMACK! _ _   
_ “Oh god, yeah!”   
_ SMACK! _ _   
_ “Oh!” _   
_ _ SMACK! _ _   
_ “Oh god!”   
_ SMACK! _ _   
_ “Oh Daryl!”   
_ SMACK! _ __   
“OH FUCK!”

Suddenly her legs started to shake and gave way beneath her.  He reached out and grabbed her just in time, asking her, “Babygirl, ya alright?  Angel, dammit, answer me!”

Angel replied in a small voice, “I’m fine.  Turn off the water before the tub overflows…”   
He reached over and shut off the water, it was near the top, so he pulled the plug to let some water out, then plugged it again.

Angel was leaning over the counter, with her head resting on her arms, face hidden.  She was still shaking a bit here and there.   
“Angel?  Baby, I’m so sorry.”   
Her voice was muffled as she told him, “Don’t ever apologize for that.  I’ve never had an orgasm without even really being touched before.  That was fucking epic.”  She finally raised her head and smiled at him.   
“I didn’t hurt ya?”   
“Yes, but in a really good way that I really liked.”   
Daryl heaved a sigh of relief.  He thought maybe he’d pushed too far.  Kinky little bitch, and she was all his.   
“Ya still wanna take a bath?”   
“Only if you’ll take it with me.”   
  
Daryl got into the tub, then helped Angel in, both of them wincing as her dark red ass touched the water.  He held her against his chest, and gently washed her with a washcloth, then himself.  They sat quietly together until the water started to get cold.  “Ya ready ta get out, babygirl?  I can make us some dinner, it’s gettin’ close ta dinner time.”   
“Yeah, that sounds good.”   
He got out, then helped her, drying her off, and being extra gentle around her sore rear end.  It was definitely going to bruise in some spots.  Daryl would never admit it, but he did get a perverse pleasure in knowing that he’d marked her as his, even though nobody could see it.  Going into the cupboard under the sink, he found a bottle of aloe vera gel, and gently applied it to her to help cool her flushed skin.   
“I love you, Daryl”   
“Aw, babygirl….”


	32. Chapter 32

Angel watched Daryl putter around the kitchen with a small smile on her face.  He noticed and said, “What?”

“Never knew a guy who was so comfortable in the kitchen.  You’re quite the chef.”   
“Nah.”   
“No, really.  Where did you learn to cook?”   
“Ya really wanna know?”   
“Yes.”   
“T.G.I.Friday’s.”   
“What?  You’ve got to be kidding me.  I can’t imagine you waiting tables at a T.G.I.Friday’s.”   
“Didn’t wait tables, I was a line cook.  Started as a dishwasher, learned how ta cook watching the other guys and moved up.  Most of my jobs were mechanics or line cooks.”   
“Did you like it?”

“It was ok.  Merle liked it.  I could make us dinner or bring us stuff home from the restaurant.  We was a couple of bachelors.  Neither of us knew much about cookin’, ‘cept for stuff on the grill,  and since Merle was always gettin’ hisself locked up, it had ta be me.”

Angel mulled that over.  He had told her about Merle, and more about his parents.  It seemed like out of the four of them, he was the only remotely responsible person.  Even as a kid.  She hated that, hated that he never had a normal childhood.  Even her childhood was normal until her dad died, more or less.   
“Angel?  Babygirl, where’s ya mind at?”   
Angel shook herself, “Hmm?”   
“Lost up in ya head again?” he smiled.

“Yeah.”   
“I was asking how ya want ya steak.  Medium, like usual?”   
“Yeah.  Oh and Daryl?”   
“Yeah, baby?”   
She smiled, “I love you.”

He turned red as he turned back to the stove muttering, “Aw, babygirl…”

She loved saying it, and loved his awkward reaction.  She knew how he felt about her, she knew he might never be able to say it back, and she was okay with that.  Daryl was with her.  It was obvious he deeply cared for her.  He didn’t have a roving eye, and he was fiercely protective of her.

And he was cooking her dinner.

He was just too damn cute.

 

After dinner, Angel and Daryl played poker for a while.  He refused to play strip poker because she always won.  He was sure she was cheating, somehow.  He just couldn’t win.

They decided to go to bed early.  They had the next day off and wanted to enjoy it, maybe even visit Jasmine and Harlan and the babies.  They climbed into bed, turned out the light and snuggled up together.  Daryl kissed Angel softly on the lips.  “Goodnight, Angel.”   
“Goodnight, Daryl.  Love you.”   
Even in the dark, she knew he was turning pink.

 

Daryl was fast asleep when he was jolted awake by someone smacking him in the face.  Nearly jumping out of his skin, he realized it was Angel.  She had rolled over in her sleep, flinging her left arm right into his face in the process, and kept right on sleeping.  Angel lay next to him in a starfish pose: arms and legs flung out.  Sometime during the night, she had taken off her sleepshirt, likely because it was like a damn inferno in there.  He looked her over in the moonlight: her beautiful breasts with those hard nipples pointed at the ceiling...yep he was getting hard again.   _ ‘Like a damn school boy seein’ his first set of titties,’   _ he thought to himself.  

She mumbled something in her sleep and briefly arched her back and sighed.  Daryl was intrigued.  Was she having a naughty dream?  Feeling like a criminal, he reached down and cupped her pussy over her panties.  She was soaked, and as soon as he touched her, she again arched her back and sighed quietly.

Well, he couldn’t let that delicious wet pussy go to waste now, could he?   
  
He reached over and slowly closed her legs so he could slide off her panties, and gently parted her legs again.  She had woken him up with a blowjob once, it was only fair he return the favor.  Daryl slid up between her legs.  Her pussy was glistening with wetness in the moonlight.  She was so wet, he could smell her.  He inhaled deeply and tried to keep from just diving into her face first.

Licking his thumb, he ran it gently up her slit, and watched her again arch her back and give a little sigh.  He circled it around her clit, making it harden.  In her sleep, Angel spread her legs wider.

He drew closer and slowly, gently ran his tongue along her slit, following the path his thumb had made, then used his fingers to gently spread her open and pushed his tongue in as deep as he could go.  Feeling her inner walls twitch, he knew he was on the right path.  Daryl dragged his tongue out and up to swirl wetly over her hard clit as he slid two fingers inside her.     
Angel was still asleep and was having a lovely, dirty dream.  She loved these sorts of dreams, as long as she got to cum, but usually she woke up before that.  Well this time she was determined.  She could feel consciousness tickling the edges of her brain, and thought,  _ “No dammit!  I want to cum first!” _

That’s when she realized that her one conscious thought had thrust her into wakefulness….and she was still about to cum.

Daryl was between her legs swirling that amazing tongue of his around and over her clit, and had his fingers pumping slowly into her.  Angel pushed down on his fingers and said, “Faster, please, baby.”   
He eyes shot up to her and he said, “Good mornin’ beautiful,” then rammed his fingers into her, slamming into her g-spot and clamped his mouth on her clit like a vacuum.    
That was all it took.

Back arching, Angel’s screams were unintelligible.  Daryl remembered hearing that some people would speak in tongues when their mind was gone….he was pretty sure her mind was gone, at least momentarily.  He kept his grip on her and licked every last drop of cum out of her.

Soon her body stopped bucking and collapsed against the bed, breathing heavily as her legs twitched.

Daryl kissed his way up her body.  Tummy to breasts to neck to lips.  He kissed her gently on the lips and she could taste herself on him.  He gave her a smile and said, “You ok, babygirl? I just -”

He was cut off as she grabbed him by the back of the head and slammed their mouths together, tongues tangling.   Flipping them over, Angel climbed on top of his hard cock and impaled herself on it, crying out in pleasure and pain, before Daryl could even think.  He grabbed tightly onto her hips and she began to ride him hard.  She leaned down towards him, eyes blazing, and wrapped one hand around his throat and squeezed.  Daryl thought he was going to blow his load right then and there.  He looked up at her and she looked almost homicidal.  Her nails were digging into his neck and he was loving it.  He pulled one hand off her hip and smacked her hard on her already tortured ass, and her back arched, making her temporarily ease her grip on his throat and he took a breath, and told her hoarsely, “Tell me how much ya love me now, filthy little bitch!”   
“Fuck yes!” she cried out.   
He slapped her ass just as hard on the other side and said, “I told ya ta say it, fuckin’ whore!  Say how much ya love me!”   
Her hand tightened around his neck and she yelled out, “I love you!  I fucking love you, Daryl!”

Angel started to speed up on his cock, and he grabbed her hard on her hips stilling her.  “Think I’m gonna let ya cum?  Fuck no.  I decide when ya get ta cum, bitch.”   
He flipped her over on her back and pounded into her slowly.  Angel was writhing desperately beneath him and clawing at him to no avail.  She tried to put her hand between them to play with her clit, but he grabbed both of her wrists in one hand, pinning them above her head, causing her to moan in frustration.   
“Still love me, dirty bitch?” he breathed in her ear.   
“Yes!  I love you, Daryl!” she cried out.

He stilled inside her, looking into her eyes, and taking her breath away.  Quietly he said, “Ya  mine.”

He  pulled one leg of hers up onto his shoulder, thrusting into her at a frantic pace, saying, “Ya MINE!  Ya got that girl?  Ya belong ta ME.”   
The eye contact between them was intense, and she said, “Fuck yes, I belong to you!”   
“Ya the property of Daryl <thrust> fuckin’ <thrust> Dixon <thrust>, Angel!”

Angel took a breath and let out a long wail of, “I FUCKING LOVE YOU!”

Her tight little pussy clamped down on Daryl, and then started to flutter at high speed.   He let go of her wrists, as he arched his back, and cried out, “MINE!  ANGEL YOU’RE MINE!”

He collapsed on top of her, his forehead pressed to hers, watched her open her eyes, and then watched her crumple.  He had a feeling that would happen.  What had just happened was pretty powerful, in more ways than one.

 

Her tears started flowing as her body shook with sobs.  Daryl lay above her, stroking her hair, and telling her, “It’s ok, babygirl.  Everything’s ok.  We’re ok.”  He put his arms around her and gently rolled over onto his back, sliding his abused cock out of her destroyed pussy in the process, and tucked her into his side.  He’d be lying if he said he didn’t wipe away a few tears of his own.

Daryl had laid claim to her.  A thought came to him unbidden, shocking him.   _ ‘Couldn’t care more for her unless I put a damn ring on her finger.’   _ He’d never thought like that before, but instead of scaring the shit out of him, it kinda sounded nice.  Being with her and only her for the rest of his life sounded amazing.  Maybe they could have some sort of life here in Alexandria.  After all, he hated being apart from her so much.

Angel gave a few more sniffles, and looked up at him.  “You okay, Daryl?”   
“Yeah, I’m more than ok.  You?”   
She smiled through the tears on her face and replied, “Oh yeah.”

He snuggled up to her and she fell asleep quickly.  He mouthed the words, ‘I love you,’ a few times.  Dammit, it still felt weird.  He’d get to it eventually.  Practice makes perfect.


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Extra long chapter and extra smutty, too!

Angel and Daryl slept in the next morning, finally waking at 9 a.m.  They dressed, had breakfast and made their way to the clinic to visit Harlan and Jasmine and the twins.  Jasmine was feeding one of the babies when they came in, and as always, Daryl didn’t know where to look.

Jasmine finally told him, “Daryl, you know this is completely normal and natural, right?”   
“Yes, ma’am.”   
“Then what’s the problem?”   
“Just ain’t polite ta stare…”

The women laughed, leaving Daryl baffled.   _ ‘If Merle were here, he’d stare.  Hell, he’d ask her for a drink.’ _

 

Rosita drew the curtain and Angel kicked the men to the other side so she could give Jasmine a cursory pelvic.  They withdrew the curtain while Angel checked Jasmine’s vitals, and both babies as well.   
“Well, 10 fingers and toes on both of them.  Can’t ask for more than that!”

Jasmine beamed.  “I can’t tell you how happy I am.  I got my family and we’re all safe.  I was so afraid I’d have to have my baby out there.”

Her daughter, little Breanna Angel, was done nursing, so Harlan took her and put her in the incubator, and picked up little David Daryl.  It didn’t pass by anyone that Daryl again averted his eyes, a true redneck gentleman.

He asked Jasmine, “Is...is it okay if I go see her?” motioning to Breanna.

Jasmine smiled at him.  “Of course, Daryl.  You could hold her if you’d like.”

 

Daryl brought a chair over to the incubator, and picked up the baby gently, then sat down.  Angel walked over to him and watched as the little baby blinked up at him with her big blue eyes.  She watched as big bad Daryl Dixon melted.  It was all over his face.  Angel smiled and asked, “So now I gotta compete with Judith AND Breanna to be your girlfriend?  The competition gets younger and younger!”

Daryl just laughed.  “Did ya know I was the first person ta feed Judy?”   
“Yep.  Rick told me.  Said you christened her ‘Lil Asskicker’.”

Daryl chuckled at the memory.  “Yep, maybe not the best name for a baby.”   
“You think?”

He rocked the newborn gently in one arm while he gently stroked her face with his hand.  Breanna reached out her tiny arm and wrapped her even tinier fingers around one of Daryl’s.  She was so tiny, they didn’t even go all the way around it.  Daryl said softly to her, “I’mma make ya a promise little one.  I promised Judy, too.  If anyone ever wants to hurt any of ya, they go through me first.  I’ll keep ya safe as I can.”  The little girl yawned and her eyes began to close, and Daryl placed her gently in the incubator.

Angel felt the twinge in her heart that she always got around babies.  She’d dreamed of having kids, and she never would.  Intellectually, she knew it was good that she hadn’t had any.  Not with the world the way it was, but sometimes….   
Quietly, she asked Daryl, “Did you ever want kids?”  He didn’t answer right away, and for a moment, Angel thought he wouldn’t.  Then, just as quietly, he said, “Naw.  Afraid I’d end up like my dad.”  It was heartbreaking to hear that.  “You wouldn’t,” she said, “I’ve seen you with Judy and now little Breanna. You’re so gentle and loving.  You’d make a great dad.”  He didn’t say anything, just stood there chewing his nails before telling her, “Yeah well...you’d make a great mom.  Just didn’t work out that way.”

They stood next to each other looking at the sleeping baby, and then Daryl reached over and took her hand.  That small gesture meant the world to her.

She turned and told Jasmine, “If the babies are eating ok, you can take them home.  I know you want to.  I want to see them for a check up one week from today, sooner if anything changes.”  Turning to Rosita she told her, “Deanna gave us the day off, so you’re on your own.  You know where to find me if you need me.”

Leaving the clinic, Daryl still held her hand.  Out in public.  In front of everyone.  He was somewhat uncomfortable, but he knew it made her feel good, and he wanted her to be happy.  They sat down on a bench and watched some kids playing.  They sat for a few minutes, then Angel quietly said, “I’m sorry I can’t give you kids.”   
“Stop.”   
“But you’d make a great dad, and-”   
“Stop it, right now.  I ain’t playin’ girl.”

She turned to look at him.  He was looking straight ahead.  He continued, “I knew ya couldn’t have kids when I got with ya.  That ain’t an issue for me.  I got Judy.  I don't need ya to have any.” He turned to look at her.  “Ain’t an issue.  Ain’t what I’m about.  I got ya, and that makes me feel good.  ‘Sides,” he said, a small smile on his face, “yer already a handful.”  Looking around to make sure no one was watching, Angel put his hands on her breasts and said, “I’m two handfuls.”

“Dirty girl,” Daryl whispered, pulling his hands away, but not before tweaking her nipples.  He leaned over and whispered in her ear, “Do I need to take ya home, little brat?  Take ya home and teach ya how to behave proper?”   
“I think so….”   
But before they could leave, they heard a little voice calling, “Doctor Angel!  Doctor Angel wait!”

The little girl whose knee she had taken care of was running up, her mom, Dana, following.  Daryl gave a quiet groan.  Angel leaned down to the little girl’s height.  “Well hi Isabella.  What’s new?”   
“I made you a present!”   
“You did?”   
“Uh huh.  Well my mommy helped but I did most of it.”  The little girl fished in her pocket and pulled out two little hand woven friendship bracelets.  “See?  mommy taught me how to make these, so I made two for you.  Do you like them?”   
Angel looked them over.  She remembered girls trading bracelets like these in junior high.  She never got one herself, since nobody wanted to be friends with the “dirty hillbilly girl”.   
Smiling at Isabella, she said, “I love them!  I always wanted some of these.”   
Little Isabella’s eyes got big.  “Really?”

“Really.  Do you know how to tie them on my wrist?”

“Uh huh.”  Isabella diligently tied them, not too tight.  “You hafta keep them on until they fall off.”   
“I will, I promise.”   
Isabella went off to play, and her mom told them, “I taught her to make those the other night.  I hope you don’t mind.”   
“Not at all!  I wasn’t kidding when I said I always wanted some.”  Watching Isabella run off to play, she looked at her little feet and frowned.  “Dana, what’s that on her shoe?”   
Dana looked embarrassed and said, “Duct tape.  Her shoes are falling apart, but there aren’t enough to go around.  Kids are so hard on them, and most of them only have one pair.  They need to last as long as possible.  So when hers started to fall apart, I...well I guess I put them back together.”

“Why didn’t you say something?”   
“I didn’t want to bother anyone.  It seems like such a small thing, kids shoes.  I was hoping that someone bigger than her would outgrow theirs, but that hasn’t happened.”   
Just then Isabella called out, “Mommy!  Come watch me do a cartwheel!”   
Smiling at Angel and Daryl, she told them, “Gotta go watch my daughter be an acrobat.”

 

After she walked away, Angel and Daryl looked at the kids.  Several of them were wearing clothes that had been patched many times over, and most of them had shoes that had seen better days: worn out brand names, mismatched laces, bald soles.  Turning to Daryl she said, “You know….”

“Yep, I know.  And I know I can’t talk ya outta it, either.  We’ll talk about it tonight, okay?”

“Yeah, okay.”   
“Good.  Because I got me a little lady who needs ta learn her manners….” he whispered in her ear huskily.   
“I have the feeling I am in a lot of trouble.”   
“Ya are.  Ya trust me?”   
“Yes.”   
“BIG trouble, girlie.  HUGE.”

Still holding hands, they walked to the house quickly, before anyone could stop them.

 

They got to the house and by the time they made it up to their bedroom, half of their clothes were off.  Daryl backed Angel up to the bed and pushed her down on it, laying on top of her and thrusting his tongue into her mouth.  Daryl was shirtless and shoeless, and had lost one sock on the way up the stairs.  Angel started unbuckling his belt, and he pulled away.

 

Laying there in a tank top and panties, she asked him, “What’s wrong?”   
“Nothin’.  Just lookin’.  Can ya do that trick girls do, where they take their bra off without takin’ their shirt off?”

She unhooked her bra and pulled it off through the armholes.  “Like that?”

The action made her nipples pebble up, and he saw them poking through the shirt.   
“Yeah, jus’ like that, babygirl,” he breathed.  “Do ya trust me?  I mean REALLY trust me?”   
“WIth my life, Daryl.  Why?”

He smiled wickedly at her.  “Gotta teach ya some manners today.  Take ya shirt off and sit up against the headboard.”   
Angel looked confused.  “Why don’t we-”   
“NOW Angel,” he barked at her.  “Don’t make me tell ya again, lady.”   
She quickly removed her shirt, put a pillow against the metal scrollwork of the headboard, and sat against it.  He watched her doing this, and then walked over to the closet, grabbing a belt.  He walked slowly over the bed.  Sitting down next to her, he ran his hand gently down her cheek, and softly said, “Gimme ya wrist.”  Obediently, Angel raised her left wrist.  He placed it against the headboard, and tied it using the leather.  Still speaking softly, he asked her, “Too tight?”

She wiggled her wrist around.  She could move it, but she wouldn’t be able to get loose.  She shook her head.

Never taking his eyes off her, Daryl slowly got up and walked around the foot of the bed to the other side, pulling his belt from his pant loops as he did.  As soon, as he got to the other side, she immediately raised her other wrist and he attached that one as well and restrained her, then took off his pants, standing only in his boxer briefs..

Daryl just paced for a bit at the foot of the bed, back and forth, never taking his eyes off her.  He reminded her of a tiger in a cage.  Then suddenly, he just stopped, and crawled up the bed, straddling her, and said quietly, “Bad, bad Angel and her bad, bad behavior.  What am I supposed to do with ya?”  Angel sat quietly, then he put his hand around her neck, squeezing gently, and said quietly, “Answer me, girl.”   
“Uhh…..teach me how to be better?”she hoped he wasn’t planning on spanking her again so soon.  Her ass was still sore and she wasn’t sure she could handle it.

“Teach ya how to be better?  Hmmm...maybe.  Teach ya a lesson is more like it…” he started crawling backwards off the bed, sliding her panties off her body and tossing them on the floor.  He crawled back up on the bed and gently slid her legs apart.  “Ya already wet, girl.  Fuck.”  He ran a finger along her slit making her gasp, collecting the wetness and licking it off.   Resting on his elbows, he blew gently on her, then turned his head to her thigh.  Wrapping his arm around it, he told her, “Tell me when to stop.”  Angel gave him a questioning look.  He bit down on her thigh, gently at first, then steadily increasing pressure.  When he was close to breaking the skin, she cried out, “Stop!”  He didn’t release the skin between his teeth, but the pressure slowly began to decrease.  Finally he released her thigh, and there was a perfect circle of teeth marks on it, already starting to bruise.  Angel was breathing heavily.

Daryl put his face close to hers.  “Why didn’t ya stop me?”   
“I did.”   
“Shoulda done it sooner.”   
“No.”   
“What did ya just say?”   
“I said no.  I trust you, Daryl.  I love you.  I don’t think you would have actually broken the skin.”   
“Oh yeah, smart girl?  Why’s that?”   
“Because you can’t say it, but I think you love me too.”

Daryl was floored at that and didn’t know what to say, so he kissed her roughly.

 

Sitting back on his heels, he spit in his hand, and rubbed it all over her her tight little pussy.  He wanted her to beg tonight.  He needed it.  He needed her to lose control.

Rubbing gently along her slit purposefully avoiding her clit, he leaned forward and starting sucking and licking her nipples, earning happy moans from her.  He got a bit rougher, pulling on them gently with his teeth.  Watching her reaction, her eyes were closed and head was thrown back, and he could see the confusion that the pleasure/pain was bringing her.  He leaned up and whispered in her ear, “Ever had a guy bite ya like that?” Angel shook her head no.  “Ya like it?”  A vigorous head nod for yes.  “Good.  Cause I ain’t done, ya little brat.”  

Daryl continued to bite and pull  on her nipples until they were bright red.  Angel was breathing heavily and sweat was starting to break out on her body.  She was trying to push her pussy harder against his hand, which was still gently caressing her soaked slit.

“You want it harder, dirty girl?” he asked.   
“Y-y-yes…” she managed to stammer out.

He drew his hand back and smacked her square on the twat.  Her eyes flew open.  He did it again, carefully watching her reaction.  Daryl could tell she wasn’t in pain, she still seemed confused about if she should like this.  He left his hand covering her mound, but held it still.  He leaned close to her.  It finally dawned on him.

“Ya like it rough, but you ain’t never got it that way, s’that it?”

Angel nodded, not trusting her voice.   
“I’m the first guy to get rough with ya?”   
Another nod.   
“Ya looked confused.  Why?”   
“B-because…” she looked away.   
“That ain’t an answer, girl.  Ya wanna continue, ya best start talking.”   
“My mom, and my stepdad.  They….they hit me.  A lot.  I didn’t enjoy it.  Why do I like this?  I know I shouldn’t feel guilty, but….” Angel bowed her head.

Daryl raised her head up and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips.  “Ain’t nothin’ wrong with likin’ this and ya know it.”  He reached over to untie her wrists, saying, “Maybe this was a bad idea…”   
“No!” Angel cried out, startling him.  Then quieter, “Please.  I….I wanna see where this goes.  I think, I may need this.  Does that make sense?”   
“Yeah.  Ya stop me if ya need ta.  Ya ain’t got nothin’ to prove ta me, ya understand?”   
“Yes, sir.”   
“Good,” he smiled at her wickedly.  “Now shut the hell up and learn your goddamn lesson.”   
  
He gave her a few more hard swats between the legs, making Angel’s back arch, sticking out those poor, abused nipples.  Reaching up, he gave them a pinch, making her cry out, those dark eyes of hers tracking his every move.  Sliding back down, he used his fingers to gently open her up, and spit on her.  “Dirty, dirty little girl,” he chastised her as he began swirling a finger lazily around her clit, but never touching it.  Angel was writhing and panting up against the headboard.  As he watched, her tiny little clit hardened and protruded.  Using one hand, he used his thumb and forefinger to gently push her labia back, and then with his other hand, he started to gently tap on her clit.   
Angel cried out, “Oh fuck yes!” and strained against the belts around her wrists.

Daryl watched her very closely.  He had a plan and he did NOT want to fuck this up.  His Angel was going to hate him for tonight, and love him forever if he did it right.

He sped up his tapping, Angel moaning and swearing.  She was so wet that just his finger tapping her was making a wet slapping sound.  He flicked his eyes down to her tight little pussy - it was quivering.   Daryl wanted nothing more than to dive in face first and not come up for a few days, but he managed to focus.  He watched her tremble and she began to call out, “Oh Daryl!”

 

He took his hands away from her.

 

It was the hardest thing he’d ever done.

 

Orgasm denied, Angel opened her eyes.  He could see she was angry and frustrated.     
“Dammit, Daryl!  What the fuck are you doing?”    
Pushing his long hair out of his face, he quietly said, “Ya ain’t learnt ya lesson yet.”

Angels eyes shot fire at him.  “Fuck you, fuck this, fuck everything, you son of a bitch!”  She started kicking at him.  He grabbed her legs, telling her, “Ya best stop before I tie them down, too.”

Taking a breath, she screamed at him, “AAARRGH!  FUCK YOU!”   
“Want me ta gag ya, too?  Don’t think I won’t.”   
“Go to hell.”   
Daryl drew close to her, grabbing her chin to keep her from looking away.  She averted her eyes, and he told her, “Look at me.  Dammit Angel!  LOOK AT ME!”  She took a breath and looked at him, so he continued.

“Ya said ya trusted me.  Ya trusted me with ya life.  So trust me now.  I can undo ya now and we can stop, or ya can trust me.”   
“But...I don’t understand what you’re doing….” she said, voice so full of frustration it nearly killed him.   
“Angel, baby,” he smoothed her hair away from her sweating forehead, “PLEASE.  Just trust me.”

Angel looked into his beautiful blue eyes.  She DID trust him, but god damn.  “Okay, Daryl, okay.  Just go ahead.  What the fuck ever.”

 

Daryl gave her a kiss, and he couldn’t help but notice it was a little cold on her end.  God, this had better work.

 

Something Daryl had noticed about Angel was she was very stressed.  She hid it well, but as he spent so much time with her, he noticed.  As a doctor, and the only doctor they had, she worried about everyone.  From Harold with his dumb fish hooks, to little ones like Isabella with their skinned knees and elbows, from the Meyers in their twilight years (the ones Daryl dug the flower bed fence posts for), to Jasmine and her newborns.  Angel felt responsible for everyone.  He was sure she’d been dynamite in the hospital she’d worked in, but everyone who came in was not her responsibility.  Here, they were. She would bring home large medical texts from the clinic to brush up, and fall asleep reading them.

Sex is a great stress reliever.  But he needed her to really, really release.  And that is what he was planning.  He wanted to edge her a few more times before letting her cum.  Merle had taught him back in the old world.  He’d had an actual girlfriend once, years and years ago.  And Daryl learned a lot from what Merle told him about her and the things they did.  Merle would do exactly this to his girlfriend once every couple of months.  Told Daryl, “Ya ain’t never seen a woman cum, baby brother, until ya seen her cum after that.  God damn woman sprayed the sheets and damn near passed out.  Goes from telling me I’m a fuckin’ bastard to telling me she’ll love me forever.  If ya ever get a girlfriend, give it a shot.  Don’t waste it on a one night stand.  Wait till ya get a girl of ya own.”

 

Angel needed to let go.  He just hoped he didn’t fuck this up.

 

Her breathing had returned to normal, but her frustration was still written all over her face.  Daryl cupped her face and kissed her again, then gently ran his hands down her body: extra careful around her sore nipples, across her tummy, down her thighs being careful near the bite mark, past her knees, and down her calves.  He had one of her tiny feet in each hand.  He brought the right one up to his face and placed kisses all along the sole, and on each tiny toe, then did the same to the other foot.  He saw her eyes widen in surprise.  “Nobody ever kissed ya feet, either?” he asked exasperated.  She didn’t speak, just shook her head no.

Starting at her ankle, he licked, sucked and nipped his way up her right leg, careful to avoid his bite from earlier, stopping at the seam where her thigh met her body.  Then he repeated the process on her left leg.  Angel’s breathing was speeding up.  Perfect.

 

Skating his fingers along her folds, she was nice and wet again.  “Mmm, babygirl.  Ya body is so damn responsive.”  He just barely dipped his fingers inside her, and they came out soaked.  He offered them to Angel, and she sucked them clean obediently.  He leaned over and kissed her.  “Ya learning, sweetheart.”

Daryl slowly slid two fingers inside  her tightness and began to pump in and out slowly.  With his other hand, he pulled his painfully hard cock out of his underwear and began to stroke it.  Angel eyed him hungrily, and said, “Bring that over here and I can suck it for you.  I know you love the way I give head.”   
He did, she was fucking legendary, and for a moment, he considered it.  But he couldn’t let anything distract her from what she was feeling.     
“Maybe later, babygirl.”

Angel pouted at him, and he released his cock.  It was sticking straight up against his belly, but he had work to do.   She was starting to squirm and push back against his fingers.  He pressed his fingers upward slightly, sweeping over her G spot.  “Oh god, Daryl….please….”  He swept over it again and again with each pump of his fingers, and she flooded him with more wetness.  Watching her beautiful face as she threw her head back, he felt her start to flutter around him.  In his mind, he said,  _ ‘Sorry, baby.’ _ __   
  


Daryl withdrew his fingers, denying her orgasm for a second time.

 

Angel let out a strangled cry of frustration.  She looked at Daryl, and to his credit, he looked unhappy himself.  She was so frustrated, she drew back her leg and kicked him in the shoulder. Not so hard that she’d hurt him, but hard enough.

“Why are you doing this to me?  If you don’t want to finish me off, untie me and I’ll do it my damn self!”   
Daryl said nothing, just lowered his head.   
“Why are you doing this?  God dammit, Daryl Dixon, answer me right now!”

He raised his head and looked at her.  Covered in sweat, red faced, and angry...and still beautiful.  He told her, “Just trust me, baby.”   
  
Angel almost blew her top.  Her eyes got so big, her thought they would pop out of her head.  She took a breath and yelled, “I FUCKING HATE YOU!  I wish I’d never come back here with you!  You asshole!”

Daryl just stood there and took it, letting her vent at him.  In a way, he deserved it.  All those years back, Merle had warned him.

 

Angel went to cross her legs, and uncrossed them quickly, hissing in pain.  Daryl caught it and asked, “What’s wrong?”   
“I hurt, ok?  I’ve got fucking blue balls, or whatever they are on a girl.  Fuck off.”

 

Instead, he drew close to her, and kissed her.   Over and over, very gently.  She tried to avoid him, turning her head, but within seconds, she was kissing him back.  She couldn’t help it.  Daryl had wonderfully soft and warm lips, and was an amazing kisser.

 

Angel felt his fingers probing her folds again, and whispered, “Please, baby, no more…”  Daryl ignored her, touching her gently so as not to hurt her.  He stopped kissing her and just looked at her, whispering, “So damn beautiful….”

 

Grabbing her legs, he scooted her down a small bit.  Without another word, his eyes never leaving hers, he slid his cock into her.  Angel’s eyes slid shut, and she whimpered, “Please…”   
“Shhh…”

“Please oh please oh please…..”   
“I got ya, babygirl.  Gonna make ya feel so good, I promise.”

 

Angel was panting and sweating in seconds.  “Daryl, please, no more, I can’t go through that again…”   
“Hush, babygirl.”

 

Soon he was thrusting into her.  Daryl was trying to hold back for Angel, and she was straining at her bonds.   
“Daryl, please...please….please let me cum…”   
“Ya wanna cum, Angel?”   
“Yes, please!”

He slid his hand between them and barely grazed her clit.

 

Angel exploded.

 

She screamed so loud and so long, he put his hand over her mouth so people wouldn’t think she was getting murdered.  Her pussy clenched, trying to push him out, and almost succeeded.  Daryl came deep inside her, groaning out his release.  Poor Angel’s body was in hyperdrive.  She was cumming again and again, gasping for breath, tears streaming down her face, body thrashing.

 

Daryl pressed his body tightly against hers, untying her binds with one hand, when she suddenly went limp.  Very limp.

 

He pulled back and looked at her.  Her little body was completely limp, and for a horrifying moment, he thought he’d killed her.  He wasn’t sure if she was even breathing.

 

He put his hand under Angel’s nose, and felt faint puffs of air.  He lightly slapped her cheeks, panicking.   
“Angel?  Baby?  Come on girl, open ya eyes for me!  Come on sweetheart, PLEASE!”

No response.

He drew back her eyelid, and one of her eyes looked right through him.  Daryl put his finger close to the open eye, as if he were going to poke it to see if she’d respond, but she didn’t.  He was truly worried, should he go for help?  But he didn’t want to leave her.  

While he was quietly panicking, he heard a knock downstairs, and Rick’s voice calling, “Daryl?  You in there?”

Throwing on his boxers and putting a blanket over Angel’s naked body, he ran downstairs and opened the door.  Rick looked at him, and said, “Uh...I was walking by and thought I heard screaming….is everything ok?”   
“No!  Something’s wrong with Angel!” Daryl told him and ran back up the stairs with Rick hot on his heels.

Running into the bedroom, the first thing Rick noticed was the smell.  It smelled like sex.  LOTS of it.  It smelled like when he and Jessie had the house to themselves.  Then he saw Angel on the bed.  She was covered with a blanket, but he was sure she was naked beneath.  Rick checked her breathing and drew back her eyelid, like Daryl had done.   
“Daryl, she’s ok.  Looks like she just passed out.  Go get me a damp cloth.”   
Daryl went into the bathroom and when Rick checked her pulse, he noticed the marks on her wrists from the belts.  Daryl came back with the damp cloth and Rick held up her wrist, asking him, “Brother, what the hell is going on here?  I heard her scream, she’s got marks from being restrained…”   
Dary gave him the short version, telling him about Merle and how he was doing the same to Angel.  Rick placed the cloth on Angel’s forehead.  Suddenly, she began to stir.  Rick asked her, “Angel, you ok?”

Her eyes fluttered open, and she softly said, “Rick?  Why are you in my bedroom?”

“I heard you scream from outside.”   
“I screamed?”   
“Yeah, you sure did.”   
“Sorry.”   
“Are you ok, sweetie?  Do we need to get Rosita?”   
“No, I’m fine.  Really.” She gave a tired little smile.

Giving them a nod, Rick left the house.   _ ‘Like damn rabbits,’   _ he chuckled to himself.

 

Daryl got Angel a glass of water, and said, “I’m sorry, baby.  I didn’t mean ta hurt ya.”  He explained what Merle had told him.   Angel said, “Why didn’t you just tell me you were edging me?”   
“Because I’m a dumbass.”

“Yes, that’s true.  If you had told me, I would have understood.  I never would have told you I hate you, because I don’t.  And I’m not sorry I came here, I’m very happy I did.”   
“Yeah?”   
“Yeah.  And I still love you.  Very much.”

 

Daryl let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding.  He leaned over and kissed her gently.  They noticed the sun was setting, and Daryl asked, “Want me to fix us some dinner?”   
“Maybe later.  Would you lay down with me for a bit?”

Daryl stretched out on the bed, and Angel curled onto his left side, her favorite place as she could listen to his heart beating.

Her little body was so worn out, she was asleep in seconds.  Daryl was more worn out than he thought, he was out like a light not long after.


	34. Chapter 34

Daryl woke before Angel.  It was dark outside, but he could still hear some kids playing, the clock on the bedside table said 8:15.  Too late for him to cook dinner, but maybe they could warm up leftovers or just have sandwiches or something.   
Angel was still curled against his side, wearing a small smile in her sleep.  Daryl very carefully slid out from under her and went to look out the window.  She muttered in her sleep, “Too hot,” then kicked off the blankets and laid there naked.   _ ‘Damn right, ya too hot,’   _ Daryl thought, smiling.  He watched her roll onto her tummy, grab his pillow, and snuggle it.  He would never know how he got so lucky.  She was like some Playboy centerfold come to life, with a brain like Einstein or something.  The phrase “All this and brains, too” must have been invented for her.

The sky was cloudy, looked like another summer storm was due.  As if on cue, the skies opened up.  Daryl laughed as he heard the shrieks of the kids caught in it as they ran home.  Suddenly a pair of arms wrapped around his waist as a lovely pair of breasts pressed against him from behind.  Angel planted a kiss on his back, and rested her cheek against it.   
“Hey beautiful,” Daryl told her, turning around to take her in his arms.   
“Hey yourself.  Mmm….I love when it rains in the summer.”   
“Me, too.”

Angel opened the window and started to climb out.   
“What the hell ya doin’, girl?  Ya buck ass naked!”

“So?  It’s dark out.  Nobody can see.  Come on…”   
Daryl looked at her little naked body with rain water running down it.  He said to himself, “This is stupid,” but climbed out after her.  “I’m out here, now what?” he asked.   
Smiling, Angel put her arms around him and said, “I always wanted to be kissed in the rain, that’s all.”   
“Well, I can definitely take care of that for ya…”   
He leaned down and kissed her, and she started walking him backwards until he was against the wall.   
The rain was really coming down, creating a wall between them and anybody that might see.   
Pulling away from the kiss and smiling, she dropped to her knees and swallowed his cock before he could say a word.  God, this woman was incredible.

Looking down at her, her pushed her wet hair back from her face.  She couldn’t look up at him, due to the rain, but he loved watching her, regardless.  His dirty little girl.  His perfect little Angel.   
She pulled his cock out of her mouth, and started licking just the tip with the very tip of her tongue.   
“Fuck, babygirl.  Ya killin’ me.  So close…”   
Angel wrapped her hand around his cock and started pumping it, telling him, “You know, I should just leave you like this as payback..” she blinked up at him and his eyes got wide. “But,” she continued, “some of us aren’t that cruel.  You want me to finish, don’t you?”   
He nodded yes madly, but Angel told him, “Use words.  I need to hear you say it.”

“Please, Angel.  Please suck my cock.”   
“Want me to finish you off?”

“Yeah…”   
“Daryl….” she chided him.   
“FUCK!  Yes, I want you to finish sucking me off.”

“You want me to swallow your cum?” she was flicking that hot little tongue of hers against the head again, making it hard for him to think.   
“AAGH!  Yes, baby!  Fuckin’ swallow my cum!”

Smiling up at him, she placed his hands on her head and said, “Make me.”

God, he loved this woman.

He fisted her wet hair in his hands and shoved his cock roughly in her mouth, saying, “Suck that fuckin’ cock, girl!”

He shoved it down her throat, and she tightened around it.  He felt like he was cumming gallons down her throat.  She swallowed every drop obediently.  He slumped against the wall, hands loosening and falling from her hair.  Angel slid up his wet body, and with a smile asked, “Did I do good?”

“Fuck, baby, ya never have to ask.  I don’t think ya could do bad!”

 

Going inside and drying off, they went downstairs and picked at some of the leftovers in the fridge.  Angel spoke first.  “We should go on a run for shoes for the kids.  For everyone, really.  There must have been some shoe store in a strip mall or something.  We could go and raid it.”

“Yeah, I was thinkin’ the same thing.  Grab all the boots and sneakers they got.”   
“And socks, too.  A lot of them sell socks and shoelaces, all those little things.  We could also double check for stuff like a first aid kit.  Just random shit.”

They decided they would find out where the nearest shoe stores had been and talk to Deanna the next day.

 

“I agree, everyone is needing new shoes, especially the children,” Deanna agreed when they brought it up to her the next morning.

Daryl spoke up, “Angel was thinkin’ there must be a strip mall or someplace with a shoe store.  Easier to clear than a Big Spot or mall.”

Angel added, “If we can get in there, we can clean it out of all the useful shoes in all sizes. We could also get socks and shoelaces and stuff.”   
Deanna thought quietly for a moment, finally saying, “See if you can find Tobin.  He lived only a few miles from here and could probably help you.  Come see me when you figure it out.”   
  
They tracked down Tobin in one of the fields and asked him about shoe stores and strip malls.  He had lived in Annandale and worked in Alexandria, so he knew the area well.  He asked why they didn’t just hit up Landmark Mall, and Daryl asked him if he was nuts.  “There’s no way me and Angel can clear an entire mall, and no reason when all we need is shoes for the kids.”  Tobin agreed and thought some more finally saying, “I think I know a place.”   
There had been a little strip mall on 7th Street in Lincolnia, just south of the Little River Turnpike.  “It was over in the Weyanoke district.  It had a couple of shops.  There was a little convenience store, I stopped there a few times to buy snacks.  There was a fancy hair salon that always had a bunch of old blue haired ladies in there.  There was a jewelry store, a fabric store, and a shoe store.  I think it was called “Family Feet” or something stupid like that.  We can go check the maps and I can show you where it is.”

 

Within the hour, they were loading up to go with Deanna’s blessing.  Rosita kept the clinic open, and they were to check in with her after their return.  Angel was going to drive the cargo van, and Daryl his motorcycle.  She was loading canvas bags into the van when he approached her with a small knapsack.   
“What’s this?” she asked.

“Want ya to keep this on at all times.  It’s got some food and water….just in case.  If we get separated or somethin’ happens, you won’t be stuck without like last time.”   
Angel smiled up at him.  “My hero.”   
He smiled back and said playfully, “Aw, shut up.”

 

They finished loading up and headed out of the gates, Daryl leading the way.  Angel followed behind, with all the car doors locked on Daryl’s insistence.  They drove along, avoiding walkers that shambled after them.  It was only a ten mile drive, and they arrived quickly.  They passed a development of several fancy homes, much like Alexandria, then arrived along the main drag of the small town.  They found the strip mall quickly, and circled around to the back.  Daryl met Angel at the van.  “We need to circle around and take care of any walkers that’re close by.”   
“Yeah, let me grab my bow,” Angel told him as she pulled it out of the van.

There weren’t too many walkers, and they dispatched them quickly.  Looking at the shopping center, they could see that the convenience store, named “Stateside Snax” had been somewhat picked over, as had “Lincolnia Jewels”, the jewelry store.  Daryl shook his head at seeing the trails of diamonds on the ground.  “End of the damn world and people are going after useless shit.”   
The hair salon, called “The Hair Trap”, Jo-Ann’s Fabrics, and Family Footwear were still locked up tight.  “There’s going to have to be another run, Daryl.”   
“What for?”   
“The fabric store,” Angel told him, pointing.  “Eventually, our clothes will fall apart.  We can take the bolts of fabric and sewing machines and stuff.  Make new clothes.”  Daryl nodded his head as a brief image of her clothes falling off her body invaded his head.   _ ‘Dammit, gotta keep ma head right now!’   _ he chastised himself.  He could find new ways to violate her once they were back home.

 

There were no broken windows at the shoe store, but Daryl banged on the plate glass anyway.  Within seconds there was a walker clawing at the glass.  He was wearing a blue smock with a nametag pinned to it that read “Benjamin”.  Poor kid must have been 17.  He seemed more interested in Angel than Daryl, and Daryl laughed, “Got a horny teenager after ya!”   
“Haha, very funny.  Can you pick a lock?”   
“Yeah, why?”   
“Go around the back and see if you can pick it.  That way the place stays undisturbed, for the most part.  No sound, no walkers.  I’ll keep ol’ Ben here entertained.”   
Daryl mulled it over.  “Not sure I like leaving ya out here…”   
“Okay, then you keep Ben entertained and I’ll pick the lock.”   
“Ya know how ta pick locks?  How?”   
“My mom and stepdad used to lock me out when they were on their benders for shits and giggles.”   
Daryl wanted to go back in time and punch them out.   
“Daryl, one of us needs to do it.  If there’s any trouble, believe me, you’ll hear me.”   
“Alright…I’ll do it.”   
Daryl went around back and started working on the lock with a pocketknife.  He could hear Angel out front.  She was talking to the damn thing.   
“Well, hiya, Ben.  How’s it going?  Got a date for prom?  I don’t.  Wanna be my date, handsome?”

Daryl shook his head and kept working, and in a few seconds, the lock popped open quietly.  Angel kept talking to Benjamin, keeping him distracted as Daryl crept up behind him silently.  “Sorry Ben, but it’s time for you to go….” she said as Daryl plunged his knife into Ben’s skull.  He walked to the front door and unlocked it for her.  “Anyone ever tell ya ya weird?”   
“All the time.”   
Angel went out to the van and grabbed a few of the large canvas sacks, handing one to Daryl.  “I think we should start in the kids department and work our way over.  Take the shoes out of the boxes, we’ll have more room.  Grab anything else you can: laces, socks, backpacks.  We don’t know when or if we’ll get back.”   
“Just sneakers and boots, right?”   
“Yeah.  No point on getting dress shoes.  These people need shoes they can run in, just in case.  Let’s hurry up.  I feel like we're being watched and it’s creeping me out.”   
  
They got to work.  It was stifling in there, and there were lots of aisles.  It didn’t take long for them to start sweating and panting.  After a quick water break, they were back at it.  Suddenly Daryl said, “This bag’s full.  I’mma take it out to the van.  Think I’ll creep over to the convenience store real quick, see if anything’s left.  Think ya be ok for a few?”   
“Yeah.”

 

Angel kept loading shoes….she didn’t realize how many shoes there really were.  She and Daryl had taken to putting any bags or backpacks in a pile by the door in case they needed them to carry more stuff.

 

Daryl walked through the convenience store.  Most of the food was long rotted, but he found some band aids and antiseptic creams, and a sad looking - but still in date - unopened bottle of cough syrup.  He dropped them in the backpack he had brought from the store.  Couldn’t find anything else useful, so he ducked into the jewelry store.  He searched under the register behind the counters and found some hand sanitizer and that was about it.  He went through the cabinets anyway, just to be sure he wasn’t missing anything.  That’s when he saw the bracelet.  Normally women’s jewelry didn’t interest him, he didn’t know anything about it, and it was all overpriced anyhow.  But this was a little gold bracelet with a gold star charm dangling from it.  It made him think of Angel and that night on the roof when she had told him about Cassiopeia.   He grabbed the bracelet and dropped it in his pocket.  He decided to go check on Angel before busting into the other stores.

 

Angel had cleaned out the children’s department, except for a display of baby shoes.  Picking up a pair of pink baby Nike’s, she marveled at how small they were, and thought of how cute they would look on little Judith.

 

Just as she reached for her bag, she heard the sound of a gun cocking behind her, and a man’s voice say, “Turn around nice and slow, missy.  It’d be a shame to shoot such a pretty girl.”


	35. Chapter 35

Angel turned slowly, the tiny pink shoes still in her hand.  A man stood pointing a gun at her.  He was much older, if she had to guess, she’d say in his 60’s, but he looked like a tough old guy.  He had thick wild hair that was going from red to gray, and matching facial scruff.  

When she locked her eyes on the gun, he lowered it a bit so it wasn’t pointing at her face.  “Where’s your gentleman friend?” he asked quietly.  When she hesitated, he added, “I know there are two of you, I saw you drive up.”   
Angel wasn’t lying when she told him, “I don’t know.  Look, we didn’t know this was your place.  I’m real sorry, we can just leave and try another store somewhere else-”   
He cut her off suddenly, as he looked behind her at the dead walker employee, saying, “Ya killed Benji?  What’d ya go and do that for, girl?”

Angel was confused.  He just pointed a gun in her face, a living breathing person, and he was upset because they killed a walker?   
He pushed past her and went over to “Benji” as he called him, kicking his dead legs.  Angel swallowed and said, “Was...was he your friend?”   
The man looked at her like she was crazy.  “Of course not!  He was dead!  But he kept the other dead away for the most part, and the living, too.  Until now.  Now I’ll have to find another one.  Dammit!”

The man turned back to Angel.  “What are you doing here anyway?  Not much in the way of supplies in a shoe store, and the convenience store was long picked over.”   
“We just needed shoes for our people, sir.  We didn’t know this was your...territory.  We’d be happy to put back what we’ve taken.”   
He looked at her, motioning to the baby Nike’s she was holding.  “But those are baby shoes, girl.”

Angel didn’t say anything.  Realization dawned on the man’s face, and he finally lowered his gun all of the way.  “A baby?  There’s a baby in your group?  Where did you leave it?  Don’t you know it’s not safe out there?  You should never have left it with anyone!  Have you lost yer mind?”  The man seemed genuinely concerned.  Angel said, “She’s safe.  She’s not mine.  She’s with her dad.”  The man sighed in relief.  “Sorry to lose my temper like that.” He noticed her hands were still up and he told her, “You can put yer hands down, love.”  Angel looked suspiciously at his gun, and the man said, “I’ve had the safety catch on the whole time, hand to God.”   She slowly lowered her hands as he told her, “You and yer gentleman friend are welcome to the shoes.  All of them if you like.  I’ve got my own stash.”  He looked down at the ground, so sad and defeated, Angel felt sorry for him.  He wasn’t a bad man, she could tell.   
“My name is Angel, what’s yours?”   
“Everyone just called me Red, because of my hair.”   
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Red.”  She held out her hand, and after a moment’s hesitation, he shook it.

Daryl came walking in from the back.  “Hey, babe.  Ain’t no food-” he stopped short seeing Red and raised his crossbow.  “Who the fuck are you?” he demanded.  To his credit, Red didn’t even raise his gun.  To Angel, it looked like the fight was out of him.  Like he was just tired.  He looked at Daryl and back at Angel and simply said, “I’m Red.  I live here.”

Daryl eyed him suspiciously.  “Here in the store?”   
“Yes.  There’s an attic.  I’ve been holed up there for….forever, it seems.”   
“Ya got a gun and ya ain’t even gonna use it?”   
“No, son, I’m not.  According to yer lady friend here, you have babies in need of shoes.  Take what ya need.  I won’t fight over shoes like some woman.” That earned him a scowl from Angel, and he gave a small chuckle and added, “No offense, love.” 

With that, Red sat down on a bench in the store, and dropped his head.  Daryl and Angel looked at each other.  Daryl sat down next to him.  “Mind if I ask ya a couple of questions?”

Red looked at Angel, but she had no idea what Daryl was doing.  Red hesitated then said, “Sure thing.”   
“How many walkers have ya killed?”   
“Walkers?”   
Angel piped in, “The dead people that are up and walking.”   
Red scratched at his chin and thought.  “Hm...it’s been a while.  Like I said, I spent a lot of time upstairs.  But while I was out there….it’s got to be well over a hundred if I had to guess.”   
Daryl nodded, then asked, “How many people have ya killed?”

Red hung his head and said quietly, “Two.”   
“Why?”   
“They had a little girl.  I stumbled on them in the woods when I was hunting.  They had raped and beat her.  She was just a child.  She didn’t make it….  I made sure they didn’t do it again…”

Daryl met Angel’s eyes.  This was a good man.  They could both feel it.

Red stood up and said, “Take what you need, and good luck.”  He headed toward the back of the store, and pulled open a little side door that they had totally missed.  Before he could head up, Angel shouted to him, “Hey!  Wait…”   
Red turned and looked at her.  She paused, not sure what to say, so Daryl spoke up.  “Would ya be interested in comin’ with us back to our people?  We got lots of good people.  Lot safer than stayin’ in a shoe store.  Plenty ta eat, runnin’ water, electricity….”   
Red narrowed his eyes suspiciously.  “Sounds too good to be true…”   
“That’s what I thought too,” Angel interjected.  “But it’s real.  We have a medical clinic and everything.”   
“How can so many of you be safe?”   
“We got a big metal gate all around the place,” Daryl said.  “Got guards up in a tower ta make sure any visitors are people we wanna see.”   
Red scratched at his chin and thought it over.  It really did sound too good to be true, but these young people spoke the truth, he was sure of it.  Angel gave him the same offer she was given.  “If you come and decide it’s not for you, we can bring you back here.  We’ll even give you some supplies.  You’d have nothing to lose.  What do you say?”

Red looked at the pretty young girl, smiling at him.  His eyes twinkled as he asked mischievously, “Any single woman there my age?”

Angel smiled back at him.  “Yes sir.”   
Winking at Daryl, he asked, “Are they pretty like she is?”

Angel and Daryl both laughed and he said, “Ain’t no one pretty like Angel.  And she’s spoken for.”

Red liked these young people, they were good and kind.  His face clouded over and he said, “I don’t know if I should go.  It’s been awhile since I been around people…” he sat on a bench looking so dejected.  Angel sat next to him and told him, “I admit, it takes getting used to.  I was alone since everything started…”  Red looked at her with wide eyes.  “But you’re such a tiny thing!” he exclaimed.   
Daryl snorted.  “So are bullets.”  His girl was a badass and he knew it.   
“Isn’t it at least worth a shot?” Angel asked him softly.

 

Red looked at the young couple.  Maybe it was worth a shot.  He was terribly lonely.  “Maybe I can try it out.  Benji was never good company anyway...”

 

Red helped them load all the shoes up, with the three of them it was done quickly. He went upstairs and cleared his things out of the attic, which included a set of keys to the door.  As they left the store, Red noticed that Angel locked it up tight.  “If you decide to come back, you don’t need the place being overrun.”  

The cargo van was so stuffed, Angel and Red just barely were able to squeeze in amongst all the bags.  On the way back, Angel told him a bit more about the town.  Red was excited, and they showed up at the place quickly.  He couldn’t believe it, everything they had told him was true.  A big metal gate surrounded it, and when they pulled in, he could see all the housing, and fields in the back with people working in them.  He was even more surprised to see children playing.  It was a regular town with regular people doing regular things, in a very irregular world.  Angel stopped the truck, rolled down the window, and told the young man at the gate, “Get Deanna.  We brought someone with us.”

“Pardon, love, but who is Deanna?” Red asked.   
“She kind of runs the place.  She’ll decide if you can stay, but I don’t see an issue.”   
They got out of the car, and a small crowd gathered to meet the newcomer as Spencer went for Deanna.  Red looked around shocked.  All these people looked healthy and happy, and he was suddenly ashamed of how dirty and shabby he looked.  Angel walked over and took his calloused hand in hers.  She said, “Everybody, this is Red.  He helped us load up the car.  Red this is, well, everybody!”

Rick walked up and introduced himself.  Abraham followed.  Then Rosita, Jessie, Tobin.  He couldn’t believe how kind everyone was, considering the state he was in.  Angel whispered, “Everybody was dirty when they first got here, too. Just remember that.”  Red nodded, unsure of his ability to speak.  

Deanna walked up and introduced herself, and explained the interview process.  As she led him away and told him about how everyone has a job, she heard Red tell her, “Yes ma’am.  I owned a farm, I’d be happy to help in any way I can….”

 

As the crowd dispersed and  the van was taken over to the inventory house, Daryl came up and put his arm around her.  Together they watched Deanna and Red walk away,  Angel waving as he looked back.

“Ya did a good thing, Angel.  He’ll be ok here.”

“Poor guy was ashamed.  It broke my heart.”

“I know.  Could see it on ya.  He’ll get a shower and some clothes, a good meal, some rest.  He’ll be a new man next time we see him.  Maybe he’ll even make himself a nice lady friend.  Seems like he was a bit of a ladies man ‘fore all this.”   
“You think?”

“Girl, I aimed a crossbow at him and five minutes later, he was askin’ if the ladies were pretty as you.  DEFINITE ladies man.  The older single ladies ain’t gonna know what him ‘em.”   
Angel got a wicked smile.  “Older women?  You might have some competition, buddy…”  Daryl swatted her behind playfully, and she let out a yelp.  “Best watch it, lady.  That ass ain’t healed yet.  I can make sure it never does.”   
Leaning up on her toes, she whispered in his ear, “You just made me soak my panties…”   
Without another word, Daryl grabbed her hand and dragged her back to the house.

 

They walked in through the side door into the kitchen.  The shades had been lowered before they left to help keep out the heat.  As soon as the door closed, he pinned her up against it and kissed her roughly.  “Think ya smart, huh?” he asked, wrapping his hand around her throat and squeezing.  “Ain’t learnt nothin’ have ya?”   
“No, sir….”

“Take ya clothes off.  Now.”   
Angel paused.  “In the kitchen?”   
Grabbing her roughly by the chin, he said, “Do I need ta tell ya twice?”   
He backed up as he watched her until he was sitting on one of the bar stools at the kitchen island, stroking his obvious erection through his pants.   
Angel pulled off her boots and socks, then shimmied out of her pants, and took off her shirt, leaving the clothes in a pile on the floor.  He crooked his finger at her.  “Over here, now.”

Angel walked over and her grabbed her around her waist and pulled her in for a kiss that took her breath away.  For a guy who said he’d never really had a girlfriend, he sure could kiss.  He whispered in her ear, “Told ya ta take your clothes off.  Why do ya still got some on, hm?  I swear ya just try to get me riled up….”  He sat back and looked at her expectantly, languidly rubbing his cock through his pants again.

“Sorry, sir,” Angel mumbled, hurriedly unhooking and removing her bra and pulling down her panties.  She was just stepping out of them when Daryl picked her up and plunked her ass down on the kitchen island.  “Daryl!  We eat here!”   
“Exactly,” he said breathlessly, sliding his stool in front of her and throwing her legs over his shoulders.

Before she could protest, he dove in.  Angel found herself thinking that yes, the kitchen was the perfect place.  The house was quiet except for Angel’s heavy breathing and wet smacking noises Daryl was making eating her pussy.  He came up for air and his face was glistening from it.  He smiled and said, “Ya REALLY wet today, babygirl.  Fuckin’ drownin’ me.”   
Angel managed to pant out, “Sorry.”   
“Don’t you dare apologize, ya fuckin’ taste like candy….”  He slid two fingers into her then brought them up to her mouth.  She slowly licked his fingers clean, and his eyes darkened.  “Gonna fuckin’ tear ya apart tonight, girl.”

Daryl buried his face between her legs again, sliding his hands under her tight ass and squeezing, making her moan and whimper.  She laid back on the hard wood of the island. Daryl was teasing her now, just barely licking her with the tip of his tongue.  She dug her heels into his back in a vain attempt to push his tongue deeper, and he withdrew it.  “Ah ah ah,” he chided her.  “Bad manners.”   
She pushed herself up on her elbows and looked at him.  “Eat my fucking pussy or back off and let me get myself off, god dammit!”

Wow, she was seriously angry.  But could he blame her after edging her until she passed out the night before?  His Angel needed to get off, no more fucking around.  “Ya got it, gorgeous,” he told her.  Never breaking eye contact with her, he started licking her in earnest.  Angel used the leverage that being up on her elbows afforded her to rock back and forth against his tongue.  Daryl was losing his fucking mind.  She was so damn wet, he was moaning against her, the vibrations sending shocks through her body.  He wrapped his arms around her thighs, and used his fingers to somewhat roughly open her up, sucking her clit into his mouth with a rapid fluttering motion.

Angel fell back off her elbows, then arched completely off the island.  Daryl kept his grip on her, riding out her orgasm.  She was silent as first, then he heard her take a gasp of air as she arched, and let go with a strangled sob.  She cried out for him, “Oh god Daryl!  I NEED YOU!  I need you…” she was clawing at the wood.  He reached for her arms and she grabbed his tightly, as he slowed his sucking down and stopped, removing his mouth.  Still Angel arched and whispered that she needed him.  He slid his hands up her back and eased her into a sitting position.  Her eyes screwed shut,he gently slid her off the island onto his lap.   
“I’m here, girl, I’m right here…” he held her in his arms.   
“I love you, Daryl….”   
Daryl cursed himself.  He felt like he’d gone mute.  She’d said that it didn’t matter if he said it, but it DID.  It mattered to him, and no matter what she said, he knew it mattered to her, too.  God dammit.

Her head was resting on his shoulder.  She shifted slightly in his lap and felt his still hard cock.  Angel whispered in his ear, “Fuck me.  Right here, right now.  Fuck me, HARD.”

“Babygirl, we don’t gotta-”   
She pulled back and looked at him.  Without a word, she quickly unzipped his pants and pulled out his hard cock, not even taking off his pants, and slammed herself down on him.  Putting her feet on the rungs of the stool, she set a punishing pace.  Daryl’s eyes rolled back as he fought to keep control, she felt so damn good.  Hot, tight, wet, all wrapped around his cock.

 

Something was wrong.  He looked at Angel.  Her eyes were screwed shut with tears running from them.  The grunts she was voicing seemed almost more from pain than pleasure.  Daryl looked down to where their bodies were joined, watched her tiny little cunt stretch to accommodate him, as she continued to impale herself on his cock.

 

“Angel….babygirl...stop..” Daryl protested feebly.  Her eyes flew open and she took his face in her hands.  “Daryl….please….” she pleaded in a way that broke his heart.   
“Please….”

 

Daryl looked into her beautiful eyes and saw his world.  She was everything to him.  She was all he ever wanted.  He needed her.  He felt it with every cell of his body.

 

Daryl spurted his release into her, and called out, “Fuck, Angel!  I FUCKIN’ LOVE YOU!  I LOVE YOU BABYGIRL!”

His arms around her to protect her back from the hard edge of the island, he sagged against her.

 

Daryl was sobbing against her chest, literally sobbing.  Angel wrapped her arms around him, saying softly, “I’ve got you, sweetheart.”

 

Through his tears and shaking, he was whispering, “I love you, Angel, I love you so fucking much…..”

 

Angel shifted, letting his cock slide out of her.  He finally raised his head to look at her.  Tears still running out of his eyes, his hair sticking up at crazy angles.  He looked like a kid.  His face reminded her of the first time she told him that she loved him: that scared little boy.  He looked her dead in the eye and said quietly, “It’s true.  I love you, Angel.  I think I did when we first met.  I could never stop thinkin’ of ya.”  He took a deep breath and said, “I love you, Angela Beecher.”

 

She smiled at him and said, “I never doubted you.”

 

They stayed wrapped around each other for a few minutes.  Finally, Angel said, “We should go upstairs.  It’s still early for bed, but I think we’ve done a good job of wearing each other out.”   
  
“Yeah, I’d love ta carry ya up all romantic, but my legs are still kinda shaky.”

 

They headed upstairs to their room.  Daryl told her, “Hey, I, uh…..got ya a present while we was out.”

She brightened up.  “You did?  What is it?”

 

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the bracelet, suddenly feeling shy.  What if she didn’t like it?

Her eyes got big and she reached for it.  “Oh Daryl, it’s beautiful! I love it!”   
“Ya do?  Really?”   
“Really.  Could you put it on?” 

He gently clasped it around her wrist.  “I got it for ya ‘cause of the star.  I remember that night out the window, when ya told me about Cassiopeia.”

“You remember that?”   
“Yeah...I remember lots of things about ya…”

Angel gave a contented sigh.  “Come to bed, Daryl….”


	36. Chapter 36

Daryl woke in the late afternoon, with Angel snuggled against him, sleeping soundly.  He just lay and listened to her breathe for a bit, oddly comforted by her closeness.  He didn’t want to leave, but he needed to talk to Rick.  He carefully slid out from under her, ran downstairs and grabbed a notepad and pen.  Taking them upstairs, he wrote a note to leave on the pillow in case she woke, dressed and left silently.

 

Rick answered Daryl’s knock and said, “If she’s passed out again, I’m putting you in separate houses.”  Daryl smiled and said, “Naw, she’s takin’ a nap.  Came to see my girlfriend.”   
“Sorry, I just managed to get her down for a nap, too.”   
“Damn…”

 

Rick looked at Daryl, he was chewing his nails again, so he knew something was up.  He sat at the table and motioned Daryl over.  “What’s going on, brother?  You look like you’ve got something on your mind, more than just seeing Judy.”   
Daryl took a breath.  “I told Angel that I loved her today.”

“Okay….”  Rick was unsure what to say to that.  He knew that he really did love the doctor.  “And….?”   
“And nothin’.  I told her I love ‘er is all.  I felt like, I dunno, like I should let someone know or somethin’....”   
Rick nodded.  “Did you mean to say it, or did it just come out?”   
Daryl looked at him like he was an idiot.  “Of course I meant ta say it!  I don’t say shit if I don’t mean it.”   
“Did she say it back?”   
“Not this time.  She didn’t hafta.  She been sayin’ it ta me for weeks.”   
“So what took you so long?”

Daryl shot him a look, so Rick continued, “Everybody knew you two belonged together, and everybody knew that you loved each other.  You ain’t stupid, Daryl.  What took you so damn long?”   
Daryl thought, chewing his nails again.  Rick was one of the few people in the world who really knew about his past.  They’d had a long talk one night back in the prison when they had watch together.  Rick knew about Daryl’s dad and what he’d done to him.  Taking a breath, he told him with his head hung low, “Ain’t never had no one love me before.”   
Rick looked at his friend.  “Yes you have.  Not like Angel, that’s for sure, and it’s about high time you did.  But we all love you.  I do.  Carol does.  Carl does.  You know damn well Judy does.  Michonne, Tara, Glenn, Maggie...we all love you.  I know Hershel loved you like a son.”  At the mention of the man’s name, Daryl’s head snapped up.  Rick nodded, “It’s true.  He told me that he thought of you like a son.  That if he had to trust his daughter's care to anyone, he gladly trusted any group that had you in it.  We all trust you and love you.  I’m glad you’re part of our family.  And I’m glad you told that lady that you love her.  Just a word of advice: don’t let that be the only time you say it.  Women….they need to hear that.  It makes them happy.”  

 

Daryl sat for a minute, digesting all that Rick had said.  He never knew Hershel thought so highly of him.  He had the utmost respect for the man, anyone who could survive a walker bite by getting their damn leg hacked off...he was a tough old codger.  The Greene patriarch didn’t mince words, he gave it to you straight, but he also gave everyone a chance, no matter who they were or what they looked like.  Daryl had sometimes wondered what his life would have been like if his dad had been like the old man.  He stood, saying, “I best be getting back before someone steals her away.”

 

Angel woke up, eyes still closed, and reached for Daryl.  Feeling the bed empty, she opened her eyes, and saw the note on the pillow.     
_ “Ran over to Rick’s place to see my ‘other’ girlfriend, haha.  Be back soon. _ _   
_ _ P.S. I love you”   _ And he had drawn a little cat next to it.  Dear god, that was too damn cute.  She was keeping this forever.  She put the note in the drawer of her bedside table, rolled back over, snuggled into his pillow, breathing in his scent, and drifted back off.

 

Daryl entered the house quietly, and once at the bedroom, just watched Angel sleep for a few minutes.  Yep, he definitely loved her.  He still couldn’t believe he was so lucky.  He undressed and slid back under the blankets with her.  Angel sleepily mumbled, “Daryl?”   
“Yeah, it’s me babydoll.  Go back ta sleep.”  She snuggled up against him tightly and dozed off again.   
  
He laid awake thinking.  They both slept better when they were together.  Although they considered Angel’s bedroom “their” room, he still kept his clothes in “his” room.  That was ending tonight.  No more separation.  From now on, his clothes would hang next to hers, period.  Together.  Forever?  Daryl thought on that.  It had only been a few months, was he ready for something like that?  Did she even want something like that?  They had both watched their parents lives disintegrate.  As a result, they rarely drank, and neither of them had any interest in drugs.  Could they be together and be ok?  It was a long way off if it happened at all, but...could it?  Angel began stirring in her sleep, and Daryl held her tighter.  She blinked up her sleepy eyes at him, “Hey there, handsome.”   
“Hey, beautiful…..I love ya, babygirl.”   
Angel looked up at him with a big smile.  “I love you, too, Daryl.”

 

Rolling on her back, she pulled him on top of her.  “I liked the kitty on the note, that was cute,” she told him as she kissed him.  She felt his hard on pressing against her and raised an eyebrow at him.  “Already?”   
“Addicted to ya, girl.  Get hard whenever I’m around ya.  Ya do somethin’ ta me...can’t explain it….”  Daryl started kissing her neck, then flipped them back over until Angel was straddling him, and sat up.  He gently wrapped her legs around him, lifted her little body by the hips, and entered her slowly.  In this position, all they had to do was rock gently.

 

Angel smile down at him and asked, “What happened to ‘gonna fuckin’ tear ya apart tonight’?”  Daryl was quiet, gently running his hand up her arm, over her shoulder, and cupping her face.  He quietly told her, “Not tonight, sweetheart, can’t be rough with you tonight.  Just can’t…”  His eyes got teary, and she pulled him to her and covered his face in kisses.  Angel told him, “If anyone saw how much we cry around here….”   
“Yeah…”

They wrapped their arms around each other, Angel using her arms around Daryl’s shoulders for leverage.  Daryl had his arms around her little waist, and was licking and sucking her nipples gently, still slightly red and bruised from the edging the day before.  Angel rocked faster and harder on his lap, “So close, Daryl…..”

“Mine.  Ya hear that girl?  MINE!”  With that last word, he thrusted upward into her.  She locked eyes with him.  All he could think was,  _ ‘Forever.’   _  She gasped out, “Yes,” then threw her head back and called out, “YES! Yes, baby, yes!” as she tightened and fluttered around him.  Just when he thought that he wasn’t going to be able to cum in this position, his orgasm blindsided him.  He simply called out, “ANGEL!” as he emptied himself into her, shaking and shivering and holding her tightly.  Daryl slumped against her, as she unwound her legs from behind him, and helped him lay back.  “Fuck, babygirl, caught me off guard with that one.”   
“Yeah, me too.”   
The last thing Daryl saw before his eyes slid shut was Angel, holding her wrist in the air, and gently batting at the charm with her fingertip.   _ ‘Got me a damn cat,’   _ he thought with a smile.

 

The next morning, Daryl was walking angel to the clinic when they heard a somewhat familiar voice call out to them, “Daryl!  Pretty Miss Angel!”  Turning around, they saw Red.  Daryl had been right, Red was a new man.  He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, had shaved, and had gotten a haircut.  He jogged up to them, smiling.  “Look at me!” he beamed, holding his arms out.  “I can’t remember the last time I was so clean!”  Angel laughed and said, “Got a trim too, I see.”   
“Yep!  Miss Jessie offered.  I never could turn down a pretty girl.”   
DEFINITE ladies man, and a flirt to boot.   
Red looked at Daryl.  “Ya know, Jessie would probably cut yours too…”   
“No way.  Ain’t cuttin’ my hair.”   
“Well, I guess as long as Miss Angel here likes it…” Red winked at her and she smiled.  “I need to get to the fields and get to work, but I saw you and wanted to say hello.”   
Angel hugged him and said, “I’m so glad you came back with us.”   
“So am I, young lady, so am I.”

 

He walked away and Angel told Daryl, “You were right.  He’s a new man.  And a flirt!”   
Smiling Daryl told her, “Don’t go gettin’ any ideas.  I staked my claim on you a long time ago.”  He kissed her goodbye and she walked into the clinic.

 

It was a somewhat uneventful day.  Tobin and some guys went out in a few cars to patrol.  They found a camp several miles away.  Unfortunately, it had signs of being overrun and they couldn’t find any survivors.  They brought all the supplies back to Alexandria.  Deanna caught Angel as she was heading for her afternoon patrol in the tower.   
“Doctor Beecher!  How are you doing, dear?”   
“Fine, what’s up?”  Angel had learned that Deanna, though polite, wasn’t much for small talk.  If she was talking to you, there was a reason.   
“Some of the men brought back some supplies from a camp that had been overrun.  There was a set of walkie talkies, military issue, but they don’t seem to be working.  Since you had some time in the military, I was wondering if you’d be willing to take a look at them?  See if they are a lost cause or not.”   
“Sure thing.  If I can’t fix them, maybe Eugene can.  He’s a pretty techie guy.”

She followed Deanna back to the house they were using to store supplies.  As they walked, Deanna told her, “I can’t thank you enough for getting the shoes for everyone.  Those will last us for years.  And bringing the sizer was smart.  Children’s feet grow so fast, you never know what size they wear from one day to the next.  And Red will be a great asset to our community!  He used to own a farm.  He was talking about crop rotation and irrigation, things that I must admit, I didn’t think about.”   
“Well, you were in politics and poker, not crop rotation and irrigation,” Angel smiled.  “I’m glad he came back with us.  He almost didn’t.  I think he’d just about had it out there.  It’s lonely outside the walls.  Lonelier than you can imagine…” she trailed off, thinking back to her treehouse.  “We’re glad you came back too, Doctor.”   
Angel smiled.  “I like it here.  Wasn’t sure if I would.”

 

They got to the storage house, and some parents were in there already with children to get shoes.  They had all been separated and organized by size and color.  Deanna came back handing her the walkies and a toolkit, telling her, “Good luck.”  

 

Angel sat down on the steps of the storage house and opened up one of the walkies, they must have gotten water into the housing.  Some of the wires had become disconnected, and a few looked corroded.  She would definitely need Eugene’s help.  Walking over to his place, Amanda opened the door.  “Oh, hi Doctor!  What can I do for you?”   
Angel had a huge smile on her face.  “Actually, I was looking for Eugene, is he around?”   
“He’s just changing his clothes.  Would you like to come in?  I just made some tomato juice, would you like some?  I know some people don’t like it, but I do.”   
“It’s one of my favorites, too, I’d love some.  And please, call me Angel.”   
Angel was standing in the doorway of the kitchen drinking her juice and being nosy asking Amanda if she and Eugene were dating, and was happy to hear that they were.  Eugene suddenly came barreling into the kitchen and smack into Angel, who promptly spilled tomato juice all over her shirt.  Eugene blurted out, “I’m sorry, ma’am.  I didn’t see you there.”   
“It’s ok, Eugene.  I shouldn’t have been standing there.”  Angel took the towel Amanda handed her and began to dab at her shirt.  Amanda said, “Why don’t you take off your shirt.  I was just about to go do some laundry for Mr. and Mrs. Meyer, and I can put your shirt in.  I’m sure there’s some kind of shirt you can borrow from Eugene for the time being.”   
  


Amanda took Angel into the bedroom and gave her a black tank top that they had sent Eugene - it was too big for her, but it would do.  Amanda took her shirt and went to the Meyers house, while Angel talked to Eugene about the walkies.     
Eugene showed her how to clean the corroded wires, and they worked in companionable silence for several hours, passing the small machines back and forth, helping each other try to get them back in working order.

 

Daryl frowned as he entered the house after having gone hunting all day.  The house was empty. Angel should have finished her shift in the tower an hour ago.  He left the house and headed up to go see why she hadn’t made it home yet.  He saw Rick and Sasha up there chatting.  “Either of ya seen Angel?”  They both shook their heads, and Rick added, “She’s around somewhere.  Check with Spencer to make sure she didn’t go outside the gates.”

Daryl headed back down and jogged over to Spencer at his usual post as he had been when he’d come in. “Hey Spence.  Ya seen Angel?”  Spencer gave it a quick thought, then said, “No, not today.  Far as I know, nobody except for you has been outside the gates today.”

 

Daryl walked away, getting frustrated and more than a little worried.  She was somewhere in town, but fuck if he knew where.  Hell, if he went next door to Rick’s, he left her a note.  Where was she?  He headed to Rick’s.  He knew Carl would be there with Judy, maybe Angel had gone over to check on them and stayed.  Carl answered his knock, but to Daryl’s chagrin, Angel wasn’t there.  “Wait a sec,” Carl said as Daryl turned to leave.  “I think I saw her going into Eugene’s place.  Maybe him or his girlfriend knows where she is.”   
_ ‘Egghead’s got a woman?’   _ he thought.  He thanked Carl, kissed Judy on the head, and turned toward Eugene’s place.  As he stepped on the porch, he heard Angel giggle inside and say, “I think it’s too big!”

_ ‘WHAT THE FUCK?’   _ he thought.  He didn’t know what was going on in there, but he didn’t like it.  He pounded on the door, yelling, “Eugene!  Open up!”  Eugene opened the door, and Daryl stormed right in, finding Angel sitting on the couch with what looked like a walkie talkie in her hand with half of it’s wires hanging out.  She looked up at him and said nonchalantly, “Oh hi, sweetie.”   
“‘Hi sweetie’?” he asked.  “Where the hell ya been?  Foolin’ around with this guy?” he yelled, pointing at poor Eugene, who looked very uncomfortable.     
Angel looked at Daryl like he was crazy.  “We’re trying to fix the walkie-talkies they found on the run.”   
“Why ain’t ya up in the damn tower where ya supposed to be, woman?”   
Angel stood and told him, “Because Deanna stopped me on the way and asked if I could take a look at them.  They’re military grade.  The wires are corroded, so Eugene here has been kind enough to spend his afternoon here with me, teaching me how to clean and reattach them.”

“Well what the fuck was that ‘I think it’s too big?  And why couldn’t ya leave me a note?  And why the EVER LOVING FUCK are you wearing his shirt?!” Daryl exploded as he noticed that she had on a different shirt from the one she’d worn that morning.  Angel did not like what he was hinting at, and she didn’t like how nervous and scared Eugene looked as Daryl glared at him.  She didn’t know Eugene well, but she liked the man, he tried very hard to be helpful.  She walked up to Daryl and said, “Let’s go home, we can talk about this there.” Angel reached for his hand, but he snatched it away, growling, “I want some answers, girl.  Now.”  

Angel was furious.  “Don’t you dare fucking demand shit from me, Daryl Dixon!  Who the hell do you think you are?”   
Her outburst caught him off guard.  She turned to Eugene and asked gently, “Do you think you can finish them up on your own?  I know we were almost done.”

Poor Eugene still looked scared, but managed to tell her, “Yes ma’am.  I can turn them into Deanna within the hour.”   
Angel smiled and said, “Thank you.  And thanks for teaching me about cleaning the wires.”  Then she turned to Daryl and muttered, “Get out, we’re leaving.  Jerk.”

 

They headed back to the house in silence.  Both angry at the other.  When they got in the house Angel turned on Daryl yelling, “What the fuck has gotten into you?”   
“Me?” he countered.   “Why the fuck are ya wearin’ his shirt?”   
“Because Amanda gave me some tomato juice and Eugene bumped into me and I spilled it.  She took it to wash it,” she told him calmly.   
Daryl snorted, “Yeah, right!  Ya were gone all damn day and couldn’t leave me a note?”   
She sighed and rolled her eyes.  “I told you, Deanna stopped me on the way home and asked for my help.  Since I was military, she thought I could fix them.  The wires were corroded, so I needed Eugene’s help.  To be quite honest, I didn’t even realize how late it was.”

Daryl rolled his eyes right back.  “Oh really?  Then what was ‘oh Eugene, it’s so big’ all about, huh?  Egghead got a big dick on ‘im?  Said mine was big too, is that what ya say ta every guy ya fuck?”  As soon as the words left his mouth, Daryl knew he shouldn’t have said them.  Angel walked over to him and said, “Do you honestly think I’d screw around on you?  And with Eugene, of all people?”

“Ya seemed pretty damn chummy with him, hangin’ out in his house without his girlfriend around, wearin’ his shirt…”   
He didn’t get a chance to finish his thought because Angel slapped him across the face, then walked out, slamming the door behind her.


	37. Chapter 37

Angel stormed out of the house, furious.  She briefly considered going to Abe and Rosita’s place, or even Rick’s, but instead, she headed for the little cemetery.  She didn’t want to have to deal with the living right now.  Rounding the back of the church, she stopped short when she saw Red bent over, looking at the marker they had placed for the little girl.  He read aloud softly, “Jane Doe, child”, took off the baseball cap he was wearing and bowed his head.  Red turned quickly when he heard her footsteps, then visibly relaxed when he realized who it was.  “Well hello, Miss Angel!”  He smiled, then his smile faltered and he remarked, “You don’t look very happy.  Not at all.  Who’s made you frown?  I’ll go after them.”

“I’m ok.  Just...Daryl makes me so mad!”   
“Your fella is the one who’s got you looking like that?  What did he do?”

Angel heaved a sigh.  Red sat on the ground next to her, his face full of concern.  She wondered if he’d had daughters, she was getting a definite dad vibe from him.  “He got mad at me for wearing a guy’s shirt, which was given to me by the guy’s girlfriend after I spilled stuff on my own shirt.  Then he was mad at me because I didn’t leave him a note letting him know I was at this guy’s house trying to fix some walkie talkies, which I didn’t do because I hadn’t been home, and I didn’t realize how late it had gotten.  And THEN,” she paused, taking a breath.  “He accused me of screwing around with this guy.  Wouldn’t give me a chance to talk.  Scared poor Eugene to death!”   
“Eugene?”

“The guy.”

“Don’t think I’ve met him.”   
“Guy with a mullet?”

“Oh HIM!  Yes, I was briefly introduced.  He seems, well….shy I suppose.  Surprised he’s brave enough to have a woman.”

They sat quietly for a moment, then Red spoke, changing the subject.  “Did you know the little girl?”

Angel told him the whole story, from Daryl and Aaron finding her, to trying to save her life and failing, to having her buried.  Red wanted to ask her more questions.  He saw old scars on her back, and figured she’d had a rough life, but still became a doctor.  It had also been plainly obvious from the get go, that that Daryl fellow was crazy about her, and she about him.  They needed to make up.  Actually, that Daryl boy needed to apologize, and let Angel have her say.  There was no way Angel would have cheated on him, ESPECIALLY with that Eugene boy.

 

Daryl stared at the door after Angel left.  He couldn’t believe she hit him - she was lucky he hadn’t hit back.  Unlike his pa, he wasn’t one for hitting women, but once he got to a certain age, his automatic reaction to being hit was to hit back.  He sat down at the kitchen island.  How dare she!  Who the hell did she think she was, fooling around and then slapping him for calling her on her shit.  There was a knock at the door, and answering it, he saw Amanda standing there.  She smiled brightly, “Hey is Angel around?”   
“Uh no, she went….for a walk.”

“Oh, ok.  Well can you give this back to her?” 

Amanda handed Daryl Angel’s newly clean and neatly folded shirt.  “When she came by today for Eugene’s help, she got tomato juice all over it, so I took it with me when I went to do laundry for the Meyer’s.  Sorry it took so long.”   
“Um, yeah.  No problem.”   
Amanda left and he stood there looking dumbly at the shirt in his hand.  Before he could start kicking himself, there was another knock.  It was Deanna telling Daryl to thank Angel for helping with the walkie talkies.  Thanks to her help, Eugene was able to get them up and running.  Once there were able to figure out what the range was, they may be able to use them on runs.  Daryl sat down at the kitchen island, feeling like an ass.  He was ashamed of himself for acting the way he had.  He was still wanting to know what Angel had thought was “too big”, but he hadn’t even given her a chance.  He’d never had a girlfriend, and this whole relationship and jealousy thing was all new to him.   
Daryl knew he was wrong.

He knew he needed to apologize.

He walked outside and sat his ass down on the porch to wait for her.

 

Angel and Red sat and talked in the cemetery for a while.  He told her that his real name was Randolph, but he’d always hated that name and everyone called him Red.  He’d had a wife named Mary, and he’d loved her like no other.  She’d died before things started happening.  “Oh you should have seen her,” Red smiled, lost in his memory.  “She was truly beautiful.  Smart as a whip, too.  Gave me two beautiful daughters, they’d be about your age if….”  Angel watched his face fall.  “I don’t think they made it.  I told them to get out of the city, come back to the farm.  I waited two months.  They never came.  They just...just never came….”  Tears started to fall from his eyes.  Angel couldn’t stand to see a big strong man cry.  She put her arms around him, and said, “I know it’s not the same, but we consider everyone here family.  YOU are family.”  Hugging her back tightly, Red told her, “You are far too kind, young lady.  I thank the good lord above that ya came in that day.  You truly ARE an angel.  Why don’t ya let this old man walk ya home?  I’m willing to bet that Daryl is waiting for ya.”   
Angel bristled at the mention of his name, but she couldn’t stay in the cemetery forever.  Red offered his arm, always the gentleman.  “Let me take you back to yer fella, bet he’s getting worried about ya.”

They walked back to the house, and there was Daryl, sitting on the front porch looking miserable.   _ ‘Serves him right,’ _  Angel thought angrily.  He stood as they approached, and Red told him, “Just escorting your lady home.”   
Daryl nodded, “Thanks.”

Red left and the two of them stood there.  Finally Daryl said, “Wanna come on in?  I can start dinner.”   
Angel just nodded and went inside, sitting at the kitchen island.  Daryl opened the fridge to get stuff out, but Angel stopped him, saying softly, “We need to talk about this.”   
He closed the refrigerator door.  “I know.”

He took a deep breath, running his fingers through his long hair.  “M’sorry.  I was wrong.  After ya left, Amanda brought ya t-shirt over, and Deanna stopped by ta thank ya.”   
“It shouldn’t have taken them corroborating my story for you to believe me.”

“I know.  Look, I ain’t excusin’ what I done, but I ain’t never had a girlfriend.  Don’t know how ta act with one.”   
“Act like Daryl.  That’s who I fell in love with.  But this jealousy shit?  That won’t fly with me.”

Daryl was leaning against the sink with his head down and started chewing his nails.  Suddenly, Angel said, “It was the wrong screwdriver.”

Daryl raised his head and looked at her, utterly confused.  “Huh?”

“Eugene handed me the wrong screwdriver for the wires.  The screwdriver was too big.”   
Daryl ran his hands through his hair again.  “Man, I feel like an asshole.”   
“You ARE an asshole,” Angel told him as she walked over to him.  “But you’re MY asshole.  Wouldn’t hurt for you to be a little less of an asshole, though.”   
He wrapped his arms around her.  “I’ll work on it.  I really am sorry, babygirl.”   
“You need to apologize to Eugene, too.  You scared the crap out of him.  Honestly Daryl, you think I’d cheat with him?  I mean, god love him, but he’s too much like a damn robot for me.”

Daryl chuckled at that but promised he would apologize the next day.

“One more thing, sweetie,” she told him.  He gave her his full attention and she laid down the law.  “You have GOT to trust me.   If you can’t, we can’t be together.  And I mean trust me on everything: who I visit with, when I go on runs, EVERYTHING.  I know you care and you want to protect me, but I’m capable.  I’m strong.  I can take care of myself.  I’d rather do it with you by my side, but you’ve got to let me.  You try to keep me in your pocket, and I’ll be gone.  I know it’s new to you, but trust is the number one thing.”   
Although Daryl usually had a poker face (if he wasn’t scowling), he looked scared when she said she’d be gone.  He took a deep breath.  “I’ll try, babygirl, I promise.”   
“Good.  And if you screw up, I will totally call you on your shit.  Got it?”   
Daryl started to turn to make dinner, and she pulled him back into a kiss.  Angel wasn’t really mad at him, per se.  He couldn’t help it, he was like a kid that didn’t know better.  They were just a “work in progress”.

 

Daryl prepared a quick dinner for him, all those years as a line cook and it was second nature to him to be fast.  He even insisted on loading the dishwasher himself, almost like penance for being an asshole earlier.  When he was done, he turned to find her leaning against the counter, smiling.  “What ya smilin’ at, girl?”   
“You.  You’re very cute when you’re domestic.”   
Daryl rolled his eyes.  Angel took his hand and lead him out of the kitchen, saying, “Well handsome man, want to take a nice hot bath with me?”

“Oh hell yeah…”

 

They headed up to the bathroom, Daryl trailing behind Angel.  It was polite to let ladies go first, sure, but also….he loved watching her ass.  Especially when she went up the stairs.  Watching those little cheeks flex and sway.  And she wondered why he seemed to be perpetually hard around her.  Angel was Daryl’s own little centerfold come to life.  Merle would have been all over her.

Up in the bathroom, Angel ran the water and began to get undressed.  She looked up to see Daryl leaning against the counter, arms crossed, watching her with a smile on his face.  She stopped and said, “I thought you were going to take a bath with me?”   
“I am.”   
“Then why aren’t you getting undressed?”   
“Because I like to watch you.”   
Angel rolled her eyes and continued getting undressed, taking off her panties and shooting them at him like a slingshot.  He caught them against his chest, still smiling, then finally started to get undressed as she climbed into the tub.

There were candles all around the tub that no one had ever lit, left by the previous tenants.  Daryl pulled his lighter out of his pocket and lit them, then turned off the bathroom light, undressed, and slid in the tub behind his girl.  She smiled at him in the candlelight.  “Candles, huh?”   
He shrugged and said, “Sure, why not?”   
“Daryl Dixon, you are a closet romantic.”  She turned to look at him and could see him turning pink, even in the dim light.   
“Just wanted ta do somethin’ nice after bein’ such an asshole.  I love ya, babygirl.  I’mma  be the best boyfriend ya ever had.”

“You already are,” she told him, facing him and straddling his lap.  Angel leaned forward and just barely grazed her lips against his.  He tangled his fingers in her thick hair and pulled her toward him, muttering, “That ain’t enough, girl….”  

She slid her wet body against his and he moaned, then growled, grabbing her hair tighter and kissing down her neck.  He gently pushed her away and grabbed a washcloth, soaping it up.  Taking one of her hands gently in his, her started up her arm with the washcloth.  Up to her shoulder, then pulling her against him as he washed her neck and back.  “Daryl, what are you doing?” she asked, as he began to wash down her other arm.  “Takin’ care of ya the way I should,” he said softly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.  He continued down her body: down across her breasts and tummy, and taking special care between her legs, down her thighs and calves, and her tiny feet.  

“Turn around,” he whispered in the quiet.     
“But you already got my back.”   
“I ain’t got ya ass.”

Angel turned and got on all fours.  It was times like these that Daryl wished he had a camera.  Angel with that perfect ass of hers up in the air already almost completely healed, nipples hard and just brushing the surface of the water, waiting for him with perfect trust.  Angel leaned her arms on the edge of the tub, and Daryl soaped up the washcloth.

He ran circles across those perfect cheeks of hers, then used one big hand to part them, and gently washed the little rosebud of her asshole, hearing her breath catch.  Rinsing all the soap off of her, she started to turn.  “Don’t move,” Daryl told her, his voice husky.  He just couldn’t get enough of her, he never would.  Reaching out of the bathtub, he used his wet fingers to pinch out the flames on all but one of the candles.  Angel tried to speak, “Daryl what are you -”

“Shhh.  Easy, babygirl.”  He pressed his hard length up against her backside as he ran his hand up and down her back.  “I just...I need ya, girl.  Always need ya.  Always want ya.  Can’t get enough of ya, no matter what I do.  Scares me ta death.”  He pulled her body up against his, so they were both on their knees with her back against his chest.   
“What are you afraid of?”  Angel asked him softly.   
“Doin’ somethin’ stupid and losin’ ya….like today.”  He dropped his head onto her shoulder.   
“Today was not your finest moment, that’s for sure.  But we talked about it.  We fixed it.  I still love you.  Everything is fine…” she reached down between her legs where his cock was nestled between her thighs.  “I think we need to just make up proper…”   
“Yeah?” he asked, sliding the head of his cock inside her.   
“Oh god, yeah.”

Daryl began pumping in and out, still with just the head of his hardness.  Angel gave a frustrated whimper, and he grabbed her hips and slammed into her, rewarding him with a strangled cry of pleasure.  His knees were killing him, but there was no way he was going to move.  Grabbing her hips, he pounded into her, the water splashing the sides of the tub and the candle flickering.  He watched her brace her hands on the edge of the tub, her star bracelet tinkling against the porcelain.  Daryl continued to assault her, earning groans and cries for his work.  

Slowing down, he scooted back slightly, still seated inside her.  He slid his hands from her hips to those perfect ass cheeks, and spread them apart again.  He leaned down and kissed her back, whispering, “Baby…”   
“Do it.”

“Ya sure?”   
“Now, before I change my mind.”   
Daryl slipped his cock out of the warmth of her pussy.  He was soaked.  Lining up to her asshole, he slowly started to push in, and Angel let out a low, guttural groan.   
“Ya ok, baby?” he asked, stilling.

Instead of answering, she forced herself back on the rest of his length, shocking them both.  Daryl was resting on his heels, Angel was right on top of his lap, and she let out a sound he hadn't heard her make since that time in the woods.  He wrapped his arms around her, hands making circles on her tummy.  She was so damn tight, he was afraid he would blow his load right then and there if he moved.  Placing her hands on his, she ran one down to the apex of her open thighs.  Letting her head fall back on her shoulder, she whispered, “Move, baby.  I need it.”   
He couldn’t deny a request like that.  He started thrusting up while one hand toyed with her nipples and two fingers of the other slid in that sweet pussy of hers.  The bath water, now getting ice cold, was splashing up on their bodies, leaving goosebumps in it’s wake. 

Daryl was trying to hold back as best he could, but he was only human.  “Babygirl, I gotta cum!”  He barely got it out before he was shooting his hot cum inside her.     
The combination of Daryl’s huge dick cumming in her ass and his fingers working furiously both in her cunt and on her nipple sent Angel into overload.  She threw herself down HARD on his cock, making Daryl grunt out, “Fuck yeah, Angel!”  Grabbing his hand off her nipple, she had the sense to clamp it over her mouth as she wailed out her orgasm over and over.  

When Angel stopped screaming, Daryl took his hand from her mouth and wrapped his arms tightly around her, resting his head between her shoulder blades.  “I love ya so much, Angel.”  He was shaking, and it wasn’t from the cold water.  He’d never thought words could mean so much, but his dad has spent years calling Daryl every name in the book.  So much so that he’d believed it.

Angel moved forward, slipping his unit out of her, and turned, groaning when her knees audibly cracked.  Daryl laughed and said, “Yeah, I’m feeling it too.  Maybe we’re too old for bathtub sex.”   
“Nonsense.  We just need a padded bathtub mat or something.  Let’s get out before we freeze, beautiful man.  We can cuddle under the blankets.”   
“Ya make the simplest things sound great, babygirl.”   
“I love you Daryl.”   
“I love ya too, Angel.”


	38. Chapter 38

_ SOMEWHERE NEAR BAILEY’S CROSSROADS, VIRGINIA….. _

 

“I’m tired!” Emma whined.   
Jacob rolled his eyes, and told her, “Woman, if I hear your voice one more time, I’ll tie you to a tree and leave you!”  Emma piped down immediately.  She was so angry.  Jacob had decided that since there were so few of them and so many more in Alexandria, they had to see what they were up against.  They had driven most of the way before the vehicles finally crapped out, then spent several days walking.  They were less than 10 miles from Alexandria, they could send scouts to check it out.   
They had found a way to keep walkers away, and surprisingly, it came from Emma.  She had done a lot of eavesdropping in Alexandria, hoping to overhear something to improve her station there.  One day she had overheard Michonne talking about how she’d had walker “pets” for protection, removing their arms and jaws and having them on leashes.  How she was able to walk right among walkers without them even noticing her.  The men had doubted her, but tried it anyway, and were surprised when it worked.  They kept a few on ropes tied to trees around their camps.  They still had men keeping watch, but the pets worked wonderfully.

Emma couldn’t wait to get back into Alexandria, to get back to Daryl.  He’d see how tough she’d been, how she’d survived and he’d drop that stupid bitch doctor.  He’d be hers.  She’d make that bitch work in the fields and see how she liked it.

 

Jacob had sent some men to check out Alexandria.  They reported back that Emma had been right: a large steel fence surrounding the place and someone watching guard 24/7 with a gun.  Likely at least some, if not all, of the residents were armed if they had an armed guard.  They were going to have to think on how to do this.

 

_ BACK IN ASZ… _

 

“Angel!  Daryl!  Could I speak to you for a moment?”  Deanna called out as they headed to Eugene’s house the next morning.   
“Would the two of you do an external patrol this morning?  We have gotten a bit lax with them, and we need at least 100 yards out in all directions from the gate.  We have a small group heading out to look for camps again.”

Angel spoke, “Sure.  We just need to pop over to Eugene’s for a moment, then we can head out.”   
“Stop by the armory before you go.”

Daryl tried to insist they would be fine with their bows, but Deanna wanted them to take one of the walkies and be in contact with the tower.

 

They walked up on Eugene’s porch, and after some gentle prodding from Angel, Daryl knocked on his door.  Amanda answered and got Eugene at Daryl’s request.   
Poor Eugene.  His fear was obvious when he saw Daryl standing there.  Eugene looked at Daryl and Angel, and Daryl looked at the floor until Angel nudged him.   
“Uh…” Daryl began, “I’m….m’sorry I was rude to ya yesterday.”   
Eugene stood quietly for a moment, then said, “No apology necessary.  You misunderstood the situation.”   
“Yeah.  Well...sorry.  It weren’t right of me.  Won’t happen again,” and stuck out his hand, still looking at the ground.  Eugene looked at Daryl’s hand for a moment before shaking it and saying, “No hard feelings, Mr. Dixon.”

 

As they walked to the armory, Daryl whispered, “His shake is like a fish.”  Angel couldn’t help but giggle and remark, “Goes with his personality.”  They collected the walkie-talkie from the armory and headed out of the gate, walking slowly.

 

At first, all they found were animal tracks and scat, and a few bits of dead squirrels, likely left from bigger animals.  But then, suspiciously close to the gates they saw something they didn’t like one bit.

 

Angel spotted it first.  Tracks.  Human shoe prints.  They were deep behind a tree, indicating someone had stood there for way too long.  There were even a few cigarette butts.  Daryl picked one up.  “These are dry, they were here after it rained that night,” he told her.  Angel scanned all around her, then clicked on her walkie. “This is Angel, who’s up in the tower?”   
“It’s me, Sasha.”

Angel walked about a dozen yards out from behind the tree, and said, “Sasha, look to the west.  Can you see me?”  She waved her arm to help herself be spotted.   
“Yeah, I got ya.”   
“Okay.  I’m gonna step backwards.  Let me know when I’m outta sight…”  Angel started stepping back slowly.  When she got a few paces from where the tracks sat, Sasha said, “Looks like I can’t see you anymore.”   
Angel waved her arms again.  “Did you see me wave?”   
“Nope.  Nothing.”   
“Ok, thanks Sash.”

She and Daryl looked at each other.  This was bad.  Someone had sat and watched, undetected, for a good length of time.   
Angel looked at Daryl.  “I doubt they were people who needed help.  Someone is watching us.”

 

The two of them followed the tracks where they eventually disappeared onto the main road.  “Can’t track ‘em any father.  Not on concrete.  Don’t even know if they walked or had a vehicle,” Daryl said, annoyed.   
Angel reached down and put her hand on the concrete, as if she would feel a vibration.  Frustrated, she spoke into her walkie.  “Sasha, can you still hear me?”   
“Loud and clear, girl.”   
“Look to the north, up the main road.  Can you see me at all?”  Angel jumped up and down and waved her arms.   
“Nope.  Can’t see a thing through the trees.  You’re too far out.”   
“Okay, thanks sweetie.”   
  
Angel and Daryl looked at each other.  Then looked up the road.  Abraham and Tobin had gone out to see if they could find any camps nearby.  This whole thing stunk to high heaven.  Something was really wrong.  Why would someone watch them?  Why not approach?  Why be so sneaky?   
Finally Daryl muttered, “The fuck is goin’ on ‘round here?”   
“Well, “ Angel mused, “someone is watching us.  But it’s someone who knows us.  They know we have a lookout posted and the lookout is armed.”  They suddenly looked at each other.  Angel said, “It couldn’t be Emma and Brian, could it?”  Daryl thought for a moment.   
“Nah.  They ain’t smart enough ta make it back.  Hell, they probably got killed their first night out.”     
“Maybe it’s someone else who used to be here?  Deanna said they’d banished people before.”

They headed back and found Deanna, telling her what they’d found.  She was as confused as they were.   
“The others that we banished have been gone for well over a year!  And as for Brian and Emma….let’s just say that I highly doubt that they survived.”   
They discussed it further, but there wasn’t much they could do.  It wasn’t safe to do an outdoor patrol at night, and Deanna wouldn’t approve it for one set of footprints and a few cigarette butts. She was sure it was nothing.  She thought it might even be someone who was just checking that ASZ was indeed safe before approaching...although no one had approached.  Red was the last new resident, and he had been found and brought by Angel and Daryl.  Deanna was basically dismissive.  Angel and Daryl were not convinced.  They headed over to Rick’s place.  As Rick was the town cop, he needed to know, and sure enough, he agreed with them: something was wrong, and Deanna had her head in the clouds.

 

They were still there when Abraham and Tobin got back.  The big redhead walked in and they told him what was going on.  He and Tobin looked at each other, and Rick said, “What’s going on?”   
Abraham ran a hand through his short hair and said, “We were hoping it was nothing, but we saw some graffiti.”   
Angel looked at him and said, “There’s graffiti everywhere.”   
Abe paused, then asked Rick, “Remember Shirewilt?”   
“What about it?”   
“Remember ‘Wolves Not Far’ on the wall?”  Rick nodded so he continued.  “We saw a building a few miles out.  One we’ve passed a bunch of times when we were getting construction stuff.  This graffiti was new.  It said ‘Wolves Are Coming’.”

Nobody noticed Angel’s face turning white.  “I gotta go,” she mumbled before stumbling out of Rick’s place and over to their own.  

 

She ran up the stairs with Daryl hot on her heels.  “Angel?  Angel!  What’s wrong?”  Angel ran to the closet and got out her old backpack and began shoving in her old supplies that had been tucked away in a drawer: slingshot, sewing kit, small first aid kit, knives.  She reached under the mattress and pulled out her bow and arrows.  Daryl grabbed her arms, yelling, “What are you doing?”   
“We have to leave!  We have to leave RIGHT NOW!  Don’t you see?  They’re coming!”   
“Babygirl, please calm down!  Ya ain’t makin’ any sense!  Who is comin’?”   
Angel was trying to twist out of his grip, face white, eyes full of fear.  “The wolves, Daryl!  They’re coming!  They’ll get us!  We have to leave, we have to leave NOW!  All of us!  Let them have Alexandria!  We have to go!”

Angel was hyperventilating and shaking, going into a full blown panic.  Daryl did the one thing he swore he’d never do, but it was the only thing he could think of…. he slapped her.   
Not hard, but hard enough.   
Angel stopped dead in her tracks.  Then she punched him square in the jaw, screaming, “You fucking asshole!  Don’t you ever hit me again!”   
“Dammit, girl!  Will you just CALM THE FUCK DOWN!”  

Rick and Abraham had decided to go over after Angel and Daryl had left, and came running up the stairs.     
Angel pretty much launched herself at Daryl.  She looked like a wild woman, all claws and fangs, trying to tear apart the only man she’d ever loved.  Daryl curled into himself for protection, unwilling to fight back.  It took both Rick and Abraham to pull the small woman off of Daryl.  He stood, looking a bit worse for the wear, scratches and bruises forming, as well as a big knot growing on his chin.  Meanwhile Angel had a big angry handprint on her cheek.   
“Daryl!” Rick yelled, “Did you hit her?  What the hell is wrong with you?”   
“Look at her, Rick!  Damn woman’s gone crazy!  She’s panicking over somethin’, and ain’t makin’ a bit of sense!  I was tryin’ ta snap her out of it!  Girl got a hell of a right hook,” he muttered, rubbing his jaw.   
Suddenly, the fight went out of Angel and she collapsed, crying.  “We’re all going to die here…” she said, weeping.  The men stood looking at each other.  Angel was a tough girl, they all knew it, but there she was: curled into a ball on the floor crying her eyes out.  None of them knew what to do.  Finally, Abraham crouched down and picked up the tiny girl in his arms, and deposited her gently on the bed.  He turned to Rick and said softly, “Go get Rosita.  Tell her what’s goin’ on.  Maybe there’s something in the clinic we can give her to calm her down.”

Daryl told him, “No way.  I ain’t druggin’ my girl.”  Rick took him aside and simply told him that they may have to, just to figure out what was going on.  “We don’t want to hurt her, “ Rick told him, “but we also don’t want her to hurt you, herself, or anyone else.  We just need to keep her calm.  In the old world, that outburst would have been enough to get her put on a 72 hour psychiatric hold.  We all love her, brother.  We need to just calm her down.”  Daryl ran his hand through his shaggy hair and nodded his head, and Rick went off to fetch Rosita.

 

Angel was inconsolable.  She couldn’t stop crying, at one point crying so hard she started dry heaving.  Abraham grabbed the garbage can in case her breakfast tried to make a second appearance, and Daryl rubbed her back, trying to calm her down.  “C’mon sweetheart,” he whispered to her, “ya gotta calm down.  Please.  We all love ya.  Nobody’s gonna die, especially not you.  Ya got all us guys ta protect ya.  I’m here.  Abe’s here.  Rick went ta get Rosita.  She ain’t a guy, but she’ll protect ya, too.”   
“She sure will,” Abe interjected.  “Rosita loves you like a sister.  She told me that herself.  You two watch out for each other.”

 

It was no use.  It seemed almost as if Angel couldn’t hear a word they said.  Her tears still flowed and she still kept saying, “They’ll kill us.  We’re all gonna die…..”

 

Rick came in with Rosita, and she had a syringe in her hand and an alcohol swab.  She started towards Angel but Daryl stopped her. “What’s in that?  What ya givin’ her?”   
“Just something to make her sleep for a bit.”   
“What’s that gonna help?”

Rosita looked at him.  “Maybe nothing, but she’s in a panic right now.  She needs to calm down.  This is all I’ve got.  If you have a better suggestion, I’m all ears.”  Daryl shook his head, and Rosita told him, “Ok.  Then step aside so I can help my friend.”

Rosita approached Angel.  She was scared for the state her friend was in, something was really wrong.  “Sweetie, I’m going to give you a little shot, ok?  I promise it will help you.”  Angel didn’t even respond.  Rosita swabbed a spot on her shoulder and stuck the needle in.  Angel gasped, turning and looking at Rosita as if she’d been betrayed.

“I’m so sorry sweetie!”  Rosita told her, wanting to cry herself.  Before Angel could respond, she was out cold.


	39. Chapter 39

Everyone looked as Angel collapsed on the bed out like a light.  Daryl turned on Rosita, “What the fuck didja stick her with, woman?”   
“It was a mild sedative.  She probably had an adrenaline crash,” she told him, pulling out a stethoscope and blood pressure cuff.  “I’m going to check her vitals right now, just calm down.”   
“If ya hurt her…”   
“Daryl, I didn’t.”   
Rosita busied herself checking her vitals.  “Her blood pressure is a bit high, but if she freaked out like Rick said, I’m not surprised.  What the hell happened?”   
  
Daryl told them about following Angel back home: how she was packing and saying they had to leave Alexandria NOW, all of them.  Freaking out about the “wolves” coming.  She knew something about them, that much was sure.  But what?  And how?  They all doubted she would ever take up with a group like that.

They talked in circles for an hour, getting nowhere.  Finally Daryl just decided to lay down with Angel while she slept.  The other three went downstairs and went over everything over and over again.  Daryl curled around her protectively, stroking her hair.  He didn’t know if she could hear him, but he whispered in her ear, “I’m here, Angel.  Ain’t leavin’ ya side.  Ain’t lettin’ nothin’ happen to ya. Ya belong to me, and I protect what’s mine.  I love ya, Angel.”

 

He must have dozed off himself, and when he woke, she wasn’t in the bed.  He sat up quickly, and spotted her standing at the window, looking out at nothing.  She was wearing a white t-shirt that was long enough to cover her ass.  The moon was full and the light was shining in the window, outlining her figure underneath the shirt.  He said softly, “Angel?”  Without even turning around, she said in a monotonous voice, “We’re all dead.  All of us.  You.  Me.  All the little ones.  Dead.  If we’re lucky, it’ll be quick.  But I don’t think we’ll be lucky.”   
  
Daryl wasn’t a man who got frightened easily, but Angel was scaring the crap out of him.  He wasn’t sure if it was the finality of her statement or the flat way she said it….emotionless.  Walking over to where she stood, he tried to put a hand on her shoulder, but she jerked away.  She wouldn’t even look in his direction.     
  


“Angel…”   
  
“Don’t.  Just...don’t.  We’re done for.  And all the ‘I love you’s in the world won’t change it.”   
  
“Babygirl…”   
  
“JUST STOP IT!” she screamed, turning to him.  “You don’t get it!  You don’t know!  I saw...I...I SAW!!!!!  I FUCKING KNOW!!!!”   
  
Her screaming caught the attention of the three downstairs, and they came running up, unsure of what was happening.  Angel turned to all of them and glared at them accusingly.   
  
“My god, have you all forgotten what it’s really like out there?  The kind of sick fucks that survived?  The shit that they do to people just because they can?  Have you fucking forgotten already?”

 

Rosita took a step towards her, and Angel stepped back, growling, “Stick me with another needle and it will be the last thing you do, woman.”  Rosita held up her hands to show she had nothing in them, and said softly, “Angel, we’re friends, remember?”   
  


“Friends don’t knock friends out,” she replied sarcastically.  Daryl was standing closest and he could feel the hostility radiating off of her.  Hostility and fear.  It was so unlike her.   
Deep down, Angel knew she was acting crazy, but she couldn’t help it.  She was still in flight or fight mode, and since they wouldn’t allow her to flee, she was going to fight as much as she could.  She continued her bitchy tirade.  “Why are you even here?  Don’t you have homes to go to?”  Turning to Rick, she told him, “You have two children you should be looking out for...or is that Jessie’s job now?  Trading one blond caretaker for another?”   
Daryl grabbed her shoulder, “Alright, that’s enough, god dammit!”

Angel stepped out of his grip, shouting, “Keep your fucking hands to yourself!  You people want to stay here and die?  Be my fucking guest!  I’m leaving!”  

Before anyone could say or do anything, Daryl grabbed her around her shoulders from behind as she swore and screamed at him, kicking her legs wildly in an attempt to free herself.  The other three stood there, unsure of what to do or say, until Daryl told them, “Go ahead, go!  I’mma take care of this!”

They didn’t need to be told twice.  Worried as they were, they didn’t want to hang around to be verbally abused, and possibly physically abused, by Angel.   
Still fighting Daryl, Angel threw her head back, trying to headbutt him with the back of her skull.  “Dammit Angel!  What the hell is wrong with ya?”  He managed to take her down to the ground, but then she got free and started to run.  Daryl caught her before she even made it out of the room, spinning her around so she faced him and throwing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.  She struggled against him and he slapped her ass hard and told her, “Ya gonna act like a little brat, I’mma treat ya like one!”  He took her in the shower, still in his clothes and turned the water full blast on cold.  Angel shrieked and tried to push past him to get out, but he blocked her easily.  He ripped the little t-shirt off of her body, put one big hand around her throat and pinned her against the wall, booming, “Cool off, ya crazy bitch!”

Instead of fighting against him, she started trying to twist her body away from the cold water.  He let go of her momentarily, and she slumped to the floor and huddled up, hugging her knees to her chest, covered in goose bumps.  He quickly shucked his wet clothes and yanked her to her feet, shoving her directly in front of the showerhead and freezing water.  Angel didn’t make a peep, just stood there under the water, unmoving.  Daryl spun her around to look at him, but her face was blank.  “No, no, no!  God dammit girl, don’t ya check out on me now…”  He slowly turned the water hotter and put his arms around her, holding her.  “Come on girl,” he said softly.  “Yell at me if ya gotta, but don’t ya disappear in ya head.  I need ya babygirl.  I love ya, come on…”  Angel suddenly took a big shuddering breath, and whispered, “Daryl, I’m sorry...I’m so scared…”

“I got ya babygirl….I got ya….” He pulled away and made her look at him.  “Ya belong ta me.  And I take care of what’s mine.  Ain’t lettin’ nothin’ happen to ya, ya hear?”   
“Gonna stamp ‘Property of Daryl Dixon’ on my ass?”   
“Hell yeah, if that’s what it takes!” he smiled.  “Babygirl….what happened?”  Her face fell and she looked away, but he turned her face back to him.  “Uh uh, girl.  Don’t pull that shit again.  Ya said ‘I saw’.  What did ya see?”   
Angel was quiet.  Daryl could practically see the wheels turning in her head.  The only sound in the house was of the water in the shower.  Angel tried to reach for Daryl’s cock, which was only semi-erect thanks to having to stand in ice water earlier, but he slapped her hand away.  “No, Angel.  Don’t even try it.  We need ta have a talk about the….the wolves.”

She started to shiver and shake, from the water or fear, he wasn’t sure.  He shut off the water, and wrapped her up in a towel before drying off himself.  

She wasn’t drying herself off, she was just standing there, shivering, wrapped in the towel Daryl had put around her shoulders.  He’d never seen her look so helpless.  He wrapped his own towel around his hips and walked over to her.  He’d never seen her in such a state, and he was worried.  “Come on, girl.  Don’t do this…”  He dried off her body and towel dried her hair, then led her into the bedroom, putting clean underwear and clothes on her, and sitting her on the edge of the bed.  He kneeled in front of her, taking her hands in his.  “Please babygirl…” he lowered his head.   
“Daryl.”   
Looking up, he finally saw some life in her eyes.   
“Go get the others,” Angel said softly.  “I will talk about this once, and once only.  Understand?”   
“Yeah, okay.  I’ll go tell Rick and have him get Rosita and Abraham,”   Daryl said as he threw on some clothes and ran to the bedroom door before skidding to a stop and looking at her.   
Angel rolled her eyes.  “I’m not going anywhere in the time it takes you to go next door and back.  Okay?”

 

A few minutes later, the five of them were assembled in Daryl and Angel’s living room, with all eyes on her.  She took a deep breath. 

“First off, Rosita, I’m sorry.  I know that you were only doing what you had to do to help me.  I was a bitch. I hope I can still call you my friend.”   
Rosita gave her a smile.  “Yes, we are definitely still friends.”   
Angel turned to Rick.  “Rick, I am so ashamed for what I said.  I’m so, so sorry.  I had no right to say what I did.  I totally understand if you hate me.”   
“I don’t hate you.  You’re family.  I’ll admit, it wasn’t your finest moment, but we all make mistakes.”

 

Angel stood and started to slowly pace.  “I know what the Wolves are.  I know what they do, what they’re capable of.  I saw them….”  She turned to Daryl.  “Remember those guys that were chasing me when you and Aaron found me?  Remember the cabin and the Hell Cellar?”  Daryl nodded.   
“Those guys were fucking saints compared to the Wolves.  And the Hell Cellar was Disneyland compared to what these sick fucks do.”

 

“I was living up in my little treehouse already.  It was spring so the leaves were really full on the tree, you couldn’t even tell there was anything up there.  This group came through, it was a couple of families.  They camped right under my tree.  From the sound of it, they were thinking about clearing out one of the houses, and staying in the area.  I just wanted them to get the hell out from under my tree.  I had food and water up there, I was ok for the time being, but I just had a feeling that something bad would happen if they didn’t leave.  And I was right.”

Angel paused in her tracks, remembering.

 

“I did consider going down and talking to them.  Maybe joining their group.  But I just didn’t.  By that time I’d been alone for a while, and wasn’t too keen on others.  And I still had that bad feeling I couldn’t shake.  My gut was telling me to stay put.  Stay put and stay quiet, and I knew that was what I had to do.”

 

“The group, like I said, was families.  Parents, kids, and couple of older people, too.  I think that was why they wanted to stay for a while.  Get some rest.  Maybe see if they could live there.  Idiots, all of them.”  Angel shook her head.   
  
“They stayed under my tree that night in tents, and had a few people keeping watch.  But I guess they didn’t have any sixth sense that trouble was coming.  Man, I could practically smell it.  And that next morning….that next morning, Hell came right under my tree.  My god, I never want to deal with that again.”  Daryl noticed she was shaking and got up to put his arms around her, asking her quietly, “Ya ok?  We need to take a break?”   
“No.  Everyone needs to know what I know…”  

 

It was hard for her to continue, but she did.   
“The next morning, these guys showed up.  Like maybe 5 of them.  You could tell they were bad news.  They strolled into the camp carrying guns, all these people had were knives.  Never bring a knife to a gunfight,” she laughed humorlessly.  “They told the people that if they handed over all of their supplies - food, water, and weapons...they’d let them walk away.  I was watching from a hole in the floor, and I knew they were lying.  They were going to take what they wanted, and it was more than food, water, and weapons.  One of the older men stood up and was all like, ‘Well wait a minute there, son..’  And one of the guys just shot him.  This guy was way old, too.  No threat at all.  He got shot and the woman and children screamed.  The men jumped up to fight but just got shot.  For nothing.  A couple of the women took off running, but they had more men in the woods to chase or drag them back.  All the grown men were shot. All the women and children...well, I’m sure they wished they were.”  Angel stopped and rubbed her eyes as if she could erase the memory of what she saw.

 

“Angel,” Abraham said softly, “what did they do?”   
  


Angel looked at him with tears in her eyes. “What didn’t they do?  I was stuck up there for four days.  Ran out of food, had a tiny bit of water. Just had to sit up there and listen to it all.  They beat them.  They burned them.  They raped them.  Even the little kids.  The kids were bleeding from all the rapes”   
  
“Rapes?” Rick interjected.  “More than once?”   
  
“Yeah.  The kids were crying for their mama’s, and the mama’s were begging them to stop hurting their babies.  These guys, they fucking passed them around!  They were laughing!  The kids died first.  Their little bodies just couldn’t take what was happening.  Some of the kids looked to be as young as 2 or 3…girls AND boys”  She was crying, and so was Rosita.   
  
“After four days, the last woman died.  I think it was from dehydration more than anything else.  The guys took breaks, took turns.  Stopped to eat, drink, and nap. She got nothing.  She gave up, I don’t blame her….”   
  
Daryl quietly asked, “Ya didn’t help ‘em?”   
  
She turned to him.  “How Daryl?  How?  There were 12 men total with GUNS.  I was up there with some arrows and a goddamn slingshot!  You shoot an arrow and it points a straight line to where it came from!  I could have gotten one, maybe two, of those guys before they saw where I was.  They could have climbed up after me, or started shooting, or just sit down there and wait me out.  By the time they left, I hadn’t eaten in 2 days and hadn’t had any water in one day.  Either way, I would have been dead.  And I live with that, Daryl!  I live with knowing that it happened! I know that I didn’t and couldn’t do ANYTHING!  I SAW IT ALL, AND I KNOW.   I know what they did, and I know I didn’t stop it!  And I’m not proud.”   
  
Daryl ran his hands through his hair.  Angel was right, she couldn’t have done anything.  “I’m sorry, babygirl,” he said walking to her and putting his arms around her.   
  
Rick spoke.  “How do you know it was the Wolves?  Sounds like that group Daryl took up with.”   
  
“They kept saying stupid shit.  ‘Wolves on the hunt!’, ‘Wolf territory!’.  They kept howling like a bunch of fucktards.  That’s how I know.  If they went through Shirewilt and took it over, there is nothing to stop them from coming here and doing the same.  There’s no treehouse to hide in here.  Those walls won’t protect us.”   
Abraham and Rick looked at each other.  She was right.  There may be 12 or by now there may be even more.  They already knew they were being watched.  Now they were 99% sure who was watching them and why.  But what could be done?  More patrols?  More towers built?  They needed to do something.   
  
“I think it’s high time that Deanna be made to understand that every able bodied citizen learn to defend themselves.  And everyone needs to be armed, no more keeping crap in the armory.  We’ve got a threat and we can’t wait until it rolls up to our gates to get ready,” Abraham said.

 

Angel looked at Abraham.  “I can’t tell that story again.”   
  
Rosita said quietly, “You won’t have to.  Because we can.  And we will.” She turned to the men and continued, “We will tell it to every single person here if need be.  This is our home. We need to keep it safe and we need to protect it.  There are far too many people here for us to lose.”

 

It was getting late, so the group disbanded with plans to meet the next day to talk to Deanna, and go over her head and straight to the citizens of Alexandria if need be.

 

But even then, someone outside the gates was watching.


	40. Chapter 40

Angel and Daryl headed up to bed.  She was exhausted, suffering from the after effects of the sedative, and Daryl didn’t want to leave her side.  However, once they got into bed, she couldn’t sleep.  Angel was still exhausted, but her body and brain was still buzzing from the leftover adrenaline and basic stress of having to relive that nightmare.  Daryl could practically feel it rolling off of her in waves.

 

“Can’t sleep, can ya?”  he finally asked.  Angel snuggled close to him and just said, “No,” with a sigh.  Daryl pressed a kiss to her forehead, asking, “Anything I can do ta help?”  Angel was quiet and still, and for a moment he thought maybe she had fallen asleep after all.  Instead, she finally moved, grabbing his hand and sliding it between her legs.  “Get me off, baby.  I need it bad.”  As soon as his fingers touched her, he realized she wasn’t kidding, she was soaked.  “I’ll do ya one better, girl,” he told her as he slid down between her legs.

 

Wrapping his arms around her thighs, he smiled up at her.  She was up on her elbows, and repeated softly, “Get me off, baby.  I need it….”  He leaned in and licked at the wetness along her slit, making her sigh and lay back.  “I gotcha girl…”   
He licked her again.  How could one girl taste so damn delicious?  If he could eat her sweet pussy for his three meals a day, he would do it every day for the rest of his damn life.  Daryl paused licking her as he thought about that.  Her and only her forever.  Angel started to squirm and whimper, and he pushed that thought away for another time.  There were more pressing things he had to attend to, namely Angel pressing her sweet little twat against his face.  Man, she needed it bad alright.  Well he wasn’t going to make his princess wait.   
  
He all but dove into her, extending his tongue as far as he could and fucking her with it.  Sliding it in her as deep as he could, swiping it back and forth licking as much of her as he could.  He switched his tongue out for two fingers, again as deep as he could as he sucked on her clit.  She was close, he could tell, and she panted out, “Another finger….hurry…”

Daryl squeezed another finger in her, damn she was always so tight.  He pumped them in and out quickly, and was relishing the obscene squelching sounds that were filling the room.  He felt Angel start to flutter around his fingers, he latched his mouth onto her clit, and hung on for the ride.   
Her entire upper body came up off the bed as she sucked in a breath, then yelled out, “Oh...oh...OH FUCK!”  Her body convulsed through her much needed orgasm, then flopped back on the bed like a rag doll.   
Daryl gently slid his fingers out of her and licked them clean, then kissed his way up her body, loving the salty taste of her sweat.  His Angel looked at him through steadily closing eyes, and managed to whisper, “Thank you, baby”, then she was out like a light.  Even though he knew she couldn’t hear him, he whispered back, “Ya welcome, doll. Anytime.”   
He wrapped himself around her, and was asleep soon after.

  
  


It was just before 10 a.m. when Daryl finally woke Angel.  Shaking her shoulder, he said gently, “Hey sweetheart.  Wakey wakey.”   
“Eggs and bakey?” she mumbled back.   
“Nope, can make it if ya want me to.  Brought ya a cup of coffee,” he said placing it on the bedside table.     
Angel opened her eyes just in time to catch Daryl checking her out.  She was laying on her stomach, and sometime during her sleep had kicked off all the blankets.   
“You’re checking out my ass.”   
“I am, it’s a pretty fabulous ass,” he smiled and brought his blue eyes up to hers.

 

Angel sat up and Daryl pulled the sheet up for her.  If she didn’t cover herself, they’d never leave that room.  “What time is it?”   
“About 10.”   
“Oh shit!” she panicked, jumping up.  “I gotta get to the clinic!  What if someone gets hurt and I’m not there?”   
“Hold on, girl!  Rosita’s coverin’ for ya.”

 

Angel sat back down holding her head in her hands.  She had a massive headache.  Daryl handed her a couple of aspirin.  She looked at him and he just said, “Rosita said you might have a bit of a ‘hangover’.  Cryin’ and fightin’ like ya were, plus the shot plus all the adrenaline.  She said best thing for ya would be some aspirin and coffee when ya woke up.”  Angel took the pills and swallowed them down with the coffee, and sat rubbing her temples.  She really did need to get up and get ready for the day.  She wanted to check on Jasmine and the babies.  Besides, Daryl probably wanted to go hunting, he was eyeing his crossbow in the corner.  Angel smiled up at him and said, “Go ahead, I’m fine.”  He left her with a smile and a kiss and a promise to be home before dark.

 

Angel checked in with Rosita at the clinic and grabbed a few things to go check on Jasmine and the babies.  The babies were fine, already gaining weight. Jasmine was doing well herself, and Harlan was all puffed up like a proud papa should be.  There were baby things all over the house, everyone had heard and pitched in with old cribs, strollers, high chairs and baby clothes.  She was glad that there were so many kids there, Jazzy hit the jackpot.

 

She was headed back to the clinic when she heard a little voice behind her, “Doctor Angel!”  It was Isabella, on her way to the field the kids played in after classes.  The sweet little girl had made Angel a few more friendship bracelets, and diligently tied them on her wrist.     
  
Her last few hours in the clinic passed quickly and then a short shift in the guard tower.  As she was heading home, Abraham stopped her.  “Deanna wants us to come by tonight.  Me, Ro, you, Daryl, and Rick.  I told her that there’s a big threat and she needs to listen to us.”  Angel paled, and Rosita told her, “You don’t have to tell that story again, but we do need you to come.  Please?”   
Angel didn’t really want to even hear it again, but she agreed.  Deanna had called it for 7 o'clock.  She still felt kind of weird and foggy from the night before, but this needed to be addressed.  She went into the house and heard Daryl up in the shower.  She considered going in and joining him, but she was still so exhausted.  What the hell did Rosita stick her with?  Laying down on the bed, she quickly fell back asleep.

Daryl woke her at 6:00 for dinner.  He had seen her sleeping after he got out of the shower and decided to let her sleep.  The poor girl looked exhausted.  He didn’t even want to wake her, but Rick had come by and told him about the meeting with Deanna.  He shook her gently.  “C’mon Angel, rise and shine.”  Angel kept snoozing away.  He shook her a little harder.  “Babygirl, wake up.  Dinner’s all ready for ya.”   
She finally opened her eyes.  Daryl loved this girl, probably would for the rest of his life, but even he had to admit she looked like crap.  Her eyes, normally so bright, were barely open and so tired, with dark circles under them, and her face was pale.  She finally sat up, and Daryl brushed the hair out of her eyes.  “Ya ok, babygirl?”   
“Yeah.  What the hell did Rosita give me?  I’m still tired.”   
Daryl looked at her.  “Weren’t nothin’ that should still be messin’ with ya.  She even said it weren’t a full dose.  Maybe ya feel better when ya get some dinner in ya.”   
“Yeah, ok.”   
Daryl had made lasagna with Carol’s recipe, which was a favorite of Angel’s, but she barely picked at it.   
“Angel, ya gotta eat.  Ya didn’t have no breakfast, and if I know ya, ya didn’t have lunch either.”   
“I know.” Angel paused and raised her head.  “Is it chilly in here to you?”   
“Girl, ya lost ya mind?  I just pulled this food outta a 350 degree oven!”  He walked over to the thermostat.  “It’s 78 degrees in here, with the air conditioner on!”   
“Oh.  Maybe I’m too close to the vent or something…”   
Daryl switched seats with her, but noticed she still had goosebumps on her arms.

 

They got into an argument before heading to Deanna’s when Angel put a sweater on.  Daryl got mad.  “What the hell is goin’ on here?  It’s 85 degrees outside, ya don’t need a damn sweater!”   
“Jesus Daryl, quit yelling at me!  My arms are cold ok?  I’m a girl, we’re always cold.  Back off!”  Angel pushed her way past him.

 

They had their meeting at Deanna’s.  Told her everything from the new graffiti to what Angel knew about what the Wolves were like and reiterated about finding that someone had been watching.  Even with all of that, Deanna still had the utmost faith that the walls would keep every threat out.  “That’s not true,” Rick told her.  “A decent car could plow right through them, or at least weaken them to a point of being useless!”   
Deanna asked him, “Well what do you suggest?”   
This time Abraham spoke.  “Everyone here needs to be trained in self defense.  From little ones all the way up to Mr. and Mrs. Meyers.  We can train them in different age and ability groups.  We also need a plan if those gates go.  A plan to escape out of Alexandria and a meeting point.  We could use the RV to transport most of the people, like the kids.  Everybody else in other vehicles or on foot.  And everyone, and I mean everyone, needs to be trained in firearms, and keep them in their homes.  No more keeping guns in the armory.  One molotov cocktail, and you lose everything.”   
  
Deanna thought it over and asked, “When are the people supposed to do all this training?  Everybody has a job, and are tired afterwards, especially those who work in the fields.”

“We already thought of that,” Abraham said.  “The kids can be taught during the day, before or after classes.  The adults need to commit to one hour a day when they work, four hours on their day off.  This isn’t a joke, lady.  This is serious.   Especially for the women and children.  Their lives may depend on it.”

Deanna was quiet and Rick spoke up.  “Look,” he said gently. “I know you think this is crazy.  But we’ve all been out there.  We know how people are.  My son….” his voice broke, so he took a deep breath before continuing.  “My son almost got raped by one of sick bastards out there.  I’m not about to let that happen to him again.  To anyone.”   
Finally Rosita said her piece.  “Please Deanna.  Let us help your people.  I know you think a threat like that will never happen.  And maybe it won’t.  But it would be better for everyone here to be prepared for something that may never happen, than to be unprepared and pay with their lives.”   
  
Deanna thought for a moment, finally saying, “I’d like to sleep on it.  I’m leaning towards yes, but not quite there yet.  I will let you know in the morning.”  That was a good enough answer for everyone.  As they were leaving, Deanna stopped Angel, saying, “Are you alright dear?  You look a bit pale?”   
“I’m fine, just tired I guess.”   
  
They walked out of Deanna’s place, and once they were out of earshot, Angel asked Rosita, “What was in that shot you gave me?”   
“Basically, liquid Nytol.  I even diluted it, Rick saw me.”  Rick nodded in agreement.   
“Why the hell am I so damn exhausted?” she said.

 

Rosita answered but Angel never heard it.  The ground seemed to pitch below her, she stumbled, and would have hit the pavement if Daryl’s reflexes hadn’t been so fast.  

 

Angel was down for the count, out cold.


	41. Chapter 41

Daryl freaked out when Angel passed out.  One minute she was fine, the next she was out.  He caught her in his arms and immediately tried to revive her.  “Angel?  Baby?  C’mon girl, don’t do this!”   
Rosita reached a hand out and touched her forehead.  “Daryl, she’s burning up!  Get her to the clinic now!”

 

They ran through the quiet streets to the clinic, Daryl with his Angel in his arms. Abraham turned on the lights as they entered, while Rosita got out the stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, and digital thermometer.  Daryl laid her gently on the gurney.  They hadn’t even noticed Deanna had seen what happened and was right behind them until she said, “Is she alright?”   
  
Rosita placed the thermometer in Angel’s ear and pressed the button.  She looked at the display and said, “It’s just over 102.  This isn’t good.”  Daryl smacked himself in the head and told Rosita, “She’s been tired all day, and cold, too.  She thought it was from what ya gave her.”   
“No, it wouldn’t do this to her.  After the headache this morning, she should have been fine.”   
  
Just then, Angel started to stir.  Everyone crowded around the gurney as she opened her eyes.  If she hadn’t felt so crappy, she would have laughed to see everyone staring at her.  Instead, she looked around briefly, and asked, “Why am I in the clinic?”

“Ya passed out, sweetheart.”   
Rosita took her blood pressure and asked her, “How do you feel?”   
“Like I got hit by a truck.”   
“Tired, achy, and cold?”   
“Yeah.”   
Rosita took a deep breath and said, “She’s got the flu.”   
Angel got irritated and said, “How the hell did I get the flu?”   
Daryl looked at her.  “Because ya work yaself too damn hard.  Ya barely ever take a day off, and when ya get home, ya study them medical books.  That’s how.”   
Rosita told her, “He’s probably right.”  Then turning to Deanna, she told her, “She’s gonna be out for probably two weeks.  She really needs the rest.”   
Deanna agreed and told Angel, “Two weeks bed rest, and that’s an order young lady.”   
Angel grumbled but said, “Yes ma’am.”   
  


Deanna had no sooner left than Angel let out a huge gasp. and turned to Rosita.  “The babies!  I visited Jasmine and the babies today!  And I had contact with Isabella, too!”   
“Ok, well, don’t panic, you’re already sick, we don’t need to make it worse.  I’ll check on all of them tomorrow first thing.  In the meantime, get home and STAY there.  I am officially quarantining you.”   
  
Daryl helped her home and into bed.  He wasn’t sick, but Rosita unofficially quarantined him for the next few days, in case he was sick as well.  Normally he would have hated it, but he wanted to take care of Angel anyway.  And he’d never been sick a day in his life, even when the flu went through the prison.  He took her upstairs, and helped her out of her clothes.  Instead of sleeping naked like she usually did, he bundled her up in some warm sweats of his, and big thick socks, and covered her up with an extra blanket.  Before she went to sleep, he made sure she took some aspirin, washing it down with a bit of juice.  The exhaustion was written all over her face.

 

Daryl got her all tucked in, then changed for bed himself, putting on pajama pants and a wife beater.  He pulled back the blankets to get into bed when Angel asked, “Aren’t you going to go sleep in the other bedroom?”  Since Daryl had officially moved all his stuff into ‘her’ room, it was now ‘their’ room.  His old bedroom was just the ‘other’ room.   
“Nope,” he answered, climbing in next to her.  “I ain’t leavin’ ya in case ya need me.  Ya want anything tonight, ya wake me for it, got it?  Don’t even want ya gettin’ up for water.  If ya need ta use the bathroom, I’ll walk you there.  Understand?”   
She smiled weakly up at him.  “Okay, I got it.  Night, baby.”   
He kissed her on the forehead and curled up next to her.  Within minutes Angel was out like a light again.

 

Daryl woke up sometime in the night to the sound of someone throwing up in the bathroom.  He jumped up and ran in, just in time to see Angel kneeling on the floor in front of the toilet.  She wiped her mouth and flushed, closing the lid and resting her head on it.  He kneeled down beside her.  “Baby, ya shoulda woke me up.”   
“Yeah, well, time was of the essence.  I had to get in here quick.”

He helped her get up and sit on top of the toilet.  She was shivering with cold.  He put his hand to her forehead, and she was still burning up.   
“We best get’cha back to bed, babygirl.”

Daryl helped her get to the sink so she could rinse her mouth out.  As she started to walk, she got hit with vertigo, so Daryl picked her up in his arms and carried her.  He knew she must be really sick as she didn’t even complain, just let him carry her back to bed and tuck her in.

 

In the morning, he woke before her and looked at her.  Angel was still asleep, but she looked like hell.  He was really worried, but knew there wasn’t much that he could do, just had to let it run it’s course.  Even in sleep, she looked completely exhausted.

 

Daryl made his way quietly downstairs.  He saw some envelopes stuck to the front door and opened them.  One was from Rosita.  A piece of paper that she had written on one side, “Put this on your front door”, and on the other written in large letters, “QUARANTINED - FLU”.  he frowned, but knew he had to.  He stuck it to the front door and opened the other envelope.  It was from Jessie.  It had a note that said, “One of my many jobs in my life was working with an herbalist.  This is black elderberry tea, it may help her feel a little better,” and some tea in small muslin tea bags.  Daryl remembered that Herschel had done the same when the flu spread through the prison.  He was really touched that she did that.  Next hunt, he would check to see if she wanted anything.   
  
There was a rash of horrible sounding hacking coughing coming from Angel upstairs, and Daryl ran up to her.  He could do little more than pat her on the back.  When she finally stopped, he asked, “Ya ok?”  She gave him a weak smile, then it suddenly dropped as she put her hand over her mouth.  Quick as a flash, Daryl scooped her up and ran her to the bathroom, depositing her in front of the toilet and lifting the lid.  She vomited up mostly bile and mucous, feeling miserable.  Daryl helped her sit on top of the toilet.  She was sweating, but still shivering.  “Ugh,” Angel said.  “I want a shower so bad, but I’m still dizzy.”   
“Why don’t ya run a hot bath?  Jessie brought by some tea that might help ya feel better.  I can make it and bring it up and keep ya company.”   
“Really?  I think that would be nice.”   
Daryl headed downstairs to make the tea, and Angel started a bath and brushed her teeth.  When he brought up her tea, she was sitting on top of the toilet.  She had pinned up her hair and taken off the sweatshirt she had on, and was shivering.   
He quickly put down the tea.  “What ya doin’ girl?  Get undressed and get ya ass in the tub.”   
“I can’t.  I tried to get undressed, but I got worn out and dizzy.”  She was on the verge of crying and it broke his heart.   
“Ok, don’t cry, babygirl.  I didn’t think about how worn out ya’d be.  Lemme help ya.”  He helped finish undressing her, and helped her get down in the tub.  She sank down to her neck and let out a moan.  “Ohh man, this feels so good.”

Daryl tried to discretely adjust himself - her being naked, wet, and moaning was making him a bit horny.  But Angel noticed and said, “Baby?  You realize that we more or less can’t have sex for 2 weeks while I’m resting, right?”

Daryl had gone literally years without a woman, since before the shit hit the fan...until he met Angel.  But once they got together, they’d been fucking like damn bunnies.  “Don’t’cha worry ‘bout me, girl.  Just get better.  I’ll live.”

“I’m sorry.”   
“Don’t be.  Ya didn’t ask ta get sick.”  He picked up the tea on the counter and handed it to her.  “See if ya can get this down.  It’s from Jessie.”

Angel took the cup and sniffed at the tea.  “Elderberry.  Smart girl.”   
Daryl smiled at her.  “Ya know about that, huh?”   
“Yeah,” she told him taking a few small sips. “While I was studying medicine, I took a few natural medicine classes, too.  Elderberry tea is very good for the flu.”   
Daryl loved that he had such a smart woman.

Angel stayed in the warm water sipping the tea for about 30 minutes, then the water started to cool.  Daryl went to find her some more warm clothes to wear, then helped her get out and get dressed.  They kept having to take small breaks, because something as simple as putting on sweatpants wore her out.

Daryl carried her down to the couch, bundling her up in blankets, and she just smiled at his sweetness.  “I think we sent all of Jessie’s movies back after ya leg healed,” he mused.  “I could read to ya for a while.  If ya want, I mean…”   
Angel loved Daryl’s voice.  “I would love that, baby.”

He looked at the bookshelves and muttered aloud, “‘Taltos’ by Anne Rice..” Angel immediately piped up, “That’s one of my favorites!”   
“Alrighty…” He pulled it off the shelf, sat down next to her and opened the book.  “‘It had snowed all day.  As the darkness fell, very close and quickly, he stood at the window looking down on the tiny figures in Central Park.  A perfect circle of light…’”

He continued to read for a few minutes, but by the time he got to page 5, she was sleeping again.  Daryl just watched her sleep for a few minutes, wishing he could do more for her.  He took her empty cup to the kitchen and put it in the dishwasher, then went upstairs and got the clothes she’d been wearing and the sweat soaked sheets off the bed and put them in the wash, and put fresh sheets on the bed.  If he had to change and wash them every day for the next few weeks, so be it.  He puttered around straightening up the house, just walking in and glancing at Angel every so often.   
Lunchtime came around, and he decided to heat up a bit of soup for Angel so she could have something somewhat substantial in her tummy.  She was so tiny already, he didn’t want her to waste away.  He was just about to make some when he heard mumbling coming from the living room.  Normally, Daryl wouldn’t have even checked, Angel sometimes talked and mumbled in her sleep, but something was telling him to go check on her.  Glancing at the clock, he saw that about 30 minutes had passed since he’d last checked on her.  Walking in the living room, he wasn’t prepared for what he saw.

 

Angel was on the couch still, with all the blankets kicked off.  She was mumbling and jerking on the couch, covered in sweat.  Something was wrong.  “Angel?” he said softly.  “Ya ok, girl?”  He placed a hand on her forehead.  She was way too hot.  Her fever had been 102 the night before, but she seemed hotter now.  He knew that if she got a really high fever, it could pretty much scramble her brains.  Just then, there was a knock on the door.  He ran and looked out.  Hallelujah, it was Rosita!  She was wearing a medical mask over her face and carried a doctor’s bag with her.  He opened the door and she said cheerfully, “House call!”

“Rosita, somethin’s wrong!”

Rosita ran to Angel’s side and opened up the bag, pulling out the digital thermometer.  Taking her temperature, the readout read 104.  Her and Daryl looked at each other.  This wasn’t good.  Angel was delirious.

 

“We gotta get her upstairs to the bathroom, Daryl.  We gotta get her into a cool bath.”   
“I just got her out of a hot one earlier….oh shit, did I make this happen?”  He said as he picked her up and carried her upstairs.     
“No, you didn’t.  She’s just sick right now, Daryl.  Even if she hadn’t had a bath, this was going to happen.”

 

Rosita ran a cool bath and helped Daryl undress her and put her in the tub.  The cold water gave Angel’s body quite a shock, as she jumped and cried, breaking Daryl’s heart.  “Please don’t cry, babygirl!  We gotta do this!”  He gently stroked her hair while Rosita used a washcloth to get the cool water all over Angel’s arms and neck.  She told Daryl, “I’m really sorry we have to do this, but her fever is just so high.”   
“I know.”   
“In a hospital they would cover her with sheets soaked in ice water.  At least with this, we can get her in and out quickly.”   
“Damn, that sounds like torture.”

“It kind of is.”

 

They kept Angel in the bath for only a few minutes.  Rosita took her temp and said, “Ok, she’s down to 103, let’s get her out of here.”   Daryl lifted her out and onto a towel Rosita had put on the counter and dried her off quickly with another towel.  Her skin was so cold, she was shivering and her teeth were chattering.   
Rosita told Daryl, “Get her into bed, then strip down and get in with her.  I want you to warm her up with your body heat, nice and slowly.  We may have already broken her fever, hopefully it won’t spike back up.  I’ll stay here with you for a few hours until we know what’s going on.”

 

He did as he was told, holding Angel’s tiny little body to his under the blankets, whispering in her ear that everything was going to be ok.  While she was there, Rosita let him know that the Wayne family, as well as Isabella, were all well.  They were all told to keep alert for any symptoms, as the babies were tiny, and Isabella was still a wee girl as well.  Daryl asked her, “Is Jazzy mad?”   
“Well, she’s not happy, but she knows Angel wouldn’t deliberately put the babies in danger.  I think they’ll be fine.”

Angel’s little voice piped up from Daryl’s chest, “Tell her I’m real sorry.”   
  
Rosita jumped up.  “Look who decided to rejoin the land of the living!”   
“I’m cold.”  Angel said.   
Daryl hugged her and said, “We had to put ya in a cold water bath.  Ya were delirious. Scared the crap outta me.”   
Rosita checked her temp.  “Down to 102.5.  Little higher than what she started with, but out of the danger zone.”

“I feel like reheated poo,” Angel said miserably.   
  
Rosita rechecked her vitals, and as everything was ok, told Daryl she’d come by twice a day, just to check on her.  She also let them know that Deanna had approved mandatory training for EVERYONE, with the exceptions of the Wayne babies and Judith.  What a relief that was.  At least now, there was something of a plan, at least they would be able to somewhat defend themselves.

 

Daryl stayed in quarantine for a week, doing nothing but doting on Angel.  He worried about the weight she was losing.  Between the vomiting and loss of appetite, she was doing her body no favors.  But after a week, the nausea began to go away, and she began to eat a little more.  On one of her daily visits, Rosita checked Daryl as well.  Despite being in extremely close contact with Angel, he was in perfect health.  The quarantine on him was lifted.  However, Rosita refused to give Angel the same concession.   
“Why not?” Angel asked.  “I’m really fine, you know I am.”   
“You still have a fever.  Why do you think I still wear a mask around you?  You can still make others sick.  Daryl has some bizarre super immune system, but you don’t.”   
“I’m fine!”   
“Really?”  Rosita asked her.  “Then prove it.  25 jumping jacks, right here, right now.”   
Angel started doing them while Rosita counted off.  After 5, she was breathing heavier.  After 10, she couldn’t do anymore, she was just worn out.   
Rosita told her, “See?  You can’t do it.  Your body is still fighting infection.”   
“Can’t I at least go outside?  Just go on the porch?  The fresh air would do me some good and you know it.”   
Angel had a point.  She and Daryl had been shut inside for a week.   
“You have a point,” Rosita conceded.  But the porch ONLY.  And NO visitors!  I will have Daryl tie you to the bed if I need to!”

This made both Daryl and Angel smile, and Rosita rolled her eyes as she left, saying, “I don’t want to know about your crazy sex games!”   
“They aren’t crazy, they’re fun!”  Angel yelled after her.

 

Daryl helped Angel dress unseasonably warm and sat out on the porch with her for a bit.  It was really nice to get out and get some fresh air.  Daryl went inside to open the windows in the bedroom to help air it out for a bit, then made some more of Jessie’s tea and brought it out to Angel.  She really did look better already, she was getting some of her color back.  “When ya take ya bath tonight, want me ta wash ya hair?”  She hadn’t been able to wash it all week, she was too cold with wet hair.  “Would you, please?  It probably stinks to high heaven.”   
Daryl drew close to her and pressed his nose against her scalp, inhaling.  She smelled of vanilla and that sweet smell that was distinctly her.  “Naw, ya fine.  If ya stunk, I’d tell ya.” 

 

Later that night, he helped her into a nice, hot bath.  He smiled at her, saying, “Ya gotta eat a little better, babygirl.  Ya lost too much weight.”   
“Are you saying I’m not sexy to you anymore?”   
“You’re still sexy as fuck and ya know it,” he said as she leaned forward so he could wash her back.  Damn, his woman was a hot little thing.

 

Angel tilted her head back so he could wash her hair, and he took his time, gently massaging her scalp, making her sigh and moan.  “You are far too good to me, Daryl.  I never would have thought that the dude with the crossbow and the attitude would ever be washing my hair.”   
Daryl just chuckled.  He never would have thought it either.  He told her, “Ya took a wild man and made him domestic.”   
“Not too domestic, I hope…”  she took her hand off the edge of the tub where it had been resting and placed it on the crotch of his pants.

“Babygirl, don’t,” he said firmly, and pushed her hand away.   
“Why not?  I know you want it, I do too….”   
“Ya still sick.  Don’t want a chance at makin’ ya worse.  Believe me, I’d love nothin’ more than ta be balls deep in ya….but we can’t.  Just a few more days.  ‘Sides...now that ya eatin’ somethin’ more than soup and tea, I got time ta fatten ya up…”   
“What?  I won’t let you make me fat, you big jerk!”   
“Oh yeah,” he teased her.  “Always wanted me a girl with a big, jiggly ass.  So big ya smack her ass and can ride the wave!  Ya know what they say, fat bottom girls make the world go ‘round.”  Angel shot him a look.  “You keep talking like that, and you won’t have my skinny ass around to play with!”   
“Ya ass ain’t skinny, girl.  Ya ass is fuckin’ perfect…” he slid his hand below the water and gave it a squeeze, and the both of them groaned.

He quickly took his hands out of the water.  “Sorry baby.  Why don’t ya dry off and I’ll bring ya somethin’ cozy ta wear.”

“I think that’s a good idea.”

Daryl knocked a few minutes later before entering with clothes for her, and she wrapped up in her towel.  They both wanted it, wanted it BAD, but they also both knew it was a bad idea.  Just a few more days was all they needed.  Angel was getting healthier and stronger by the day.  They would make it.

 

Five days later, Angel got the ok from Rosita to start working again.  Nobody else had gotten sick, it was just a freak thing that happened.

First stop was to Jasmine.  Angel couldn’t apologize to her enough for being around the babies when she was sick.  Even though she hadn’t really known, she still felt guilty. Jasmine assured her that since the babies hadn’t gotten sick that all was well, telling her, “You didn’t know.  If you had, you never would have come by.  I know that.  You would have NEVER risked the babies.”  She went on to explain how much she actually enjoyed the training.  She and Harlan went at different times, and he loved his “daddy time” with the babies, or, as Jasmine put it, “A way to prove that yes, he knows which end a diaper goes on!”

 

Isabella came by the clinic with two more friendship bracelets.  One pink and white for Angel, and a bigger one in black and green.  “That one is for Mr. Daryl.  It’s camouflage!  So that you can’t see it when he goes in the woods!”  Angel assured Isabella that not only would Daryl love it, but he would wear it proudly.

  
Rosita and Deanna decided that Angel should only work a half day shift in the clinic, no guard tower duty for a week.  More of a precaution than anything else.  So after her shift, she headed home with Daryl’s new bracelet.  When she got in the house, it was silent.  She found a note from Daryl in the kitchen.     
“Went hunting to bag a rabbit for Jessie.  Be home before dark either way.  Love you, Daryl” and a horrible drawing of a rabbit.  Smiling she took the note upstairs to her bedside table and tucked it in the drawer with the other notes he had given her.  Feeling somewhat worn out after her first day back, she stretched out on the bed and went to sleep.


	42. Chapter 42

While Angel was in the clinic that day, Daryl was out hunting.  Jessie had asked for a rabbit for something she wanted to cook “if it wasn’t too much trouble”.  She’d always been nice to he and Angel, so if she wanted a rabbit, he was going to try to get her one.  He walked through the forest and came to a clearing with three cabins.  These were nice, rich people type cabins: people who wanted to pretend they were getting back to nature while having high speed internet and 5,000 channels of cable TV.  He decided to check them out.

 

The cabins really were in the middle of nowhere, it was possible they hadn't been completely picked over, it couldn’t hurt to look.  They still needed to plan another run to Lincolnia to loot the fabric store and see what else they could find in there, but he was here at these cabins now.  No sense in not going in.  The first one wasn’t even locked.  It looked like whoever had been there left in a hurry.  There were no walkers inside or any sign of life.  He checked the kitchen, and there were a few cans of food still in the cupboard, covered with a thick layer of dust.  He put those in his pack and moved slowly through the rest of the downstairs. Finding nothing of note, he made his way to the second floor. The dresser drawers and closets of the bedrooms had been emptied, leaving a few things behind.  In the master bedroom, he found an old army duffle in the closet, and used it to pack up the few items of clothes that had been left behind that hadn’t been chewed up by moths and mice.  Checking the bedside table, he found a bottle of aspirin and some hair ties, so tossed them in as well.  In the master bath there was nothing worth taking, the bottles of shampoo and body wash had turned into bottles of congealed goo.

There was another bedroom that looked like it belonged to a teenage boy.  Video games were on a shelf next to the window, and on the walls were posters of half naked pop stars and models.  There was nothing interesting until he opened the bedside table.  This kid had left behind a halfway decent hunting knife in a sheath.  Taking it out, he saw why - it was dull as a butter knife.  He took it anyway, as he could always take some time to sharpen it.  And then way in the back, a big box of condoms.  Daryl put them in the bag, laughing.  He and Angel didn’t need them, but he figured Glenn and Rick could fight over them.  He pulled some out and put them in his pocket to slip to Carl.  He’d noticed Carl had been spending quite a bit of time with that Enid girl.  May as well make sure that if they were playing doctor that they were being safe about it.  The last bedroom was a little girl’s room, judging by the pink canopy bed and Barbie dolls left behind.  There was nothing worth taking really, but he grabbed a pretty little baby doll for Judith.  The would definitely have to come back with trucks and clean these places out.  Pots and pans, bed linens, bed frames, furniture...these were gold mines.   
He went back downstairs and made a cursory trip through the kitchen.  Lots of good stuff there they’d have to come back for, really top of the line appliances.  Stand mixers, expensive microwaves, hell, they could probably tear out the ovens and fridges if they really wanted them.  The stuff they had in Alexandria wasn’t cheap, not by a long shot, but it might be nice to have some more of these things, especially since Deanna still wanted to expand the town and walls.

He was almost out when he saw it on a big box on the counter.  Oh hell yes, he would HAVE to take this, just to shut up damn Mrs. Neudermeyer.  On the front of the box, it said “Popeil Automatic Pasta Maker”  and proudly proclaimed “Deluxe bonus Package with 24 Dies”.  Yep, this was coming with him.  He tucked it under his arm.  Before he left, he locked the door, just in case.  It wouldn’t keep out the living, but it would stop the dead.

Daryl walked to the second cabin.  It was locked, so he jimmied open the door.  There was nothing in there.  Not even furniture.  It must have been vacant.  He checked the entire house: no walkers or humans.  There were some blankets arranged as a makeshift bed in one of the rooms, but it was covered with dust and cobwebs.  Whoever had slept there was long gone, left and never came back.  In the dust covering the floor, the only footprints were his own.  He opened a couple of cabinets and drawers in the kitchen, but they were all empty.  Leaving, he again locked the door behind him.   
Daryl approached the last house.  Feeling uneasy, he knocked on the front door.  Sure enough, he heard shuffling and moaning inside.   _ ‘Of course,’   _ he thought.   _ ‘Some rich fuck didn’t want to leave his castle.’ _  He picked the lock, opened the door, and hopped off the porch to see what he was up against.  Just two, husband and wife, likely.  He put bolts through both of their heads without a second thought, and walked into the house.  He banged on the wall with the butt of his crossbow, but there was no other sound from inside.  He slowly made his way through the living room, looking at the pictures on the wall.  Now this guy was an actual hunter.  There were plenty of pics of him with animals he’d bagged, as well as trophies on the wall, and food still in the kitchen.  He looked back out the window at them.  They were pretty rotted, they had turned long ago.  He assumed the husband probably went out to hunt, got bit, and not knowing any better, came back home, dooming his wife.  The house was definitely stinky, from those corpses just hanging out in the Georgia heat, until he found them.  He filled his pack with the food in the pantry that was still good, and made his way upstairs.

He passed through the master bedroom, going straight to the bathroom.  In the bathroom garbage, he saw old, bloodstained gauze bandages.  Yep, one of them got bit and brought it home to the other.  He looked in the medicine cabinet and found what was left of the well-stocked first aid kit.  There were also bottles of over the counter pain relievers and cold meds.  Pay dirt!  He loaded up his pack.  Again the shampoos and body washes looked rotten and gross.  he was about to leave when he noticed a jar on the edge of the bathtub.  Wiping the caking of dust off the label, he read, “Bath and Body Works Luxuries, Purely Silk Salt Scrub,” then near the bottom it said, “Warm Vanilla Sugar”.  He unscrewed the jar, popping the seal in the process, and took off the lid.  Bringing it slowly to his nose in case it was rotten as well, he was able to smell the wonderful vanilla smell.  It made him think of Angel.  Daryl had no idea what a salt scrub was, but he figured he could give it to Angel, see if it was something she’d like.

He moved into the bedroom and started checking the clothes in the closet.  The woman seemed to favor frilly blouses and skirts, nothing the women back in town could use.  The man had several pairs of jeans and T shirts, and a nice camouflage jacket that Daryl decided to keep for himself.  He emptied out the dresser drawers for underwear and socks for both of them...again, the woman seemed to favor silky underthings, while the guy seemed to be a fan of plain white briefs and sweat socks.  He took it all anyway, pausing when he saw a sexy, lacy teddy in red and black.  He shoved that into his own pack for Angel.  Daryl didn’t care one way or the other what kind of underpants she wore (he was much more interested in what she had underneath), but hey.  That was pretty damn sexy.   
Searching the bedside tables on what was undoubtedly the man’s side, he found nothing of interest.  Some pictures, looked like him and his hunting buddies, some newspaper clippings about the outbreak, an old issue of Sports Illustrated, and a pair of reading glasses.  Crossing over to the other side, he went through the woman’s bedside table.   A cheesy romance novel, some long ago evaporated nasal spray...and then he saw it.  One of those little velvet covered jewelry boxes.  He opened it - must have been the woman’s wedding ring.  It was surprisingly low key.  24 karat white gold with small diamonds all around the band.  Even Daryl could appreciate that it was a pretty ring.  Taking it out and holding it in his hand, he thought,  _ ‘This would be perfect for Angel…’   _ Then he stopped himself right there.  This was a wedding ring, not a bracelet with a star on it.  This was serious.  If he gave this to her, was he prepared for the implications?  Before he could even finish that thought, he said out loud, “Hell yes.”  Daryl loved Angel, with every fiber of his being.  He couldn’t imagine his life without her.  Did he want to actually MARRY her?  Yes.  Yes he did.  Together forever? Yes.  To love, honor, and cherish?  Yes, yes, and yes.  He didn’t need to think about.  He put the ring back in the box, and slipped it into his pocket.   
The other bedrooms were pretty bare, he guessed that they were guest rooms.  He walked out on the front porch, locking the door, getting ready to head home.  Then he saw a wild rabbit hopping through the grass.

Jessie would get her rabbit after all.

 

First stop was at the armory, to drop off the weapons and ammo he found, as well as all the canned food for Olivia to deal with.  He stopped at Rick and Jessie’s with the rabbit.  Jessie had told him he didn’t need to dress it, she had worked for a butcher and knew how.  When she had cut Rick’s hair when they first got there, she had told him she’d been a stylist “and about 10 other things”, and she wasn’t kidding.  He wanted to talk to Rick, but he was out on patrol, so he headed back.  The house was quiet, but the note was gone, so he was sure she was upstairs.  He walked quietly in the bedroom and saw her curled up on the blankets in her clothes, taking a nap.  Sneaking over to his bedside table, he hid the ring box way in the back.  He wanted to wait for the right moment.  Then into the bathroom for a hot shower.

 

Angel woke up when she heard the shower running and smiled.  Undressing quickly, she walked into the bathroom and watched Daryl standing under the spray.  He had that great ass, and she looked over the tattoos and scars on his back.  Everything about him made him perfect, even his supposed imperfections, and he was hers.  Stepping in behind him, she pressed her body against his.  “Hey there handsome,” she said wrapping her arms around him and grasping his cock.  “Hey yaself, sleeping beauty,” he smiled over his shoulder.   
“I missed you these past two weeks.”   
“Fuck, babygirl, I missed ya too, but ya keep rubbin’ on me an’ I’m gonna blow right now,” he told her, and she withdrew her hands as he turned around.   
“You’ve always been up for multiple rounds.  You have the stamina of a guy in his 20’s.”   
“Yeah, but...I mean...are ya sure ya well?  I saw ya sleepin’ in there.  I got no problem with….takin’ care of myself if ya need more rest…”   
Angel smiled.  “Well there’s something I’d like to watch sometime.  Yes, I am fine.  Just a little tired since I’ve been a lazy ass for the last two weeks,” she sank to her knees in front of him.  “How about you give me a shot of energy?”   
Fuck this woman was amazing.   
Daryl stopped her.  “Do one thing for me, babygirl: don’t swallow. Come up here before you do.”   
Angel narrowed her eyes at him.  “Why?”   
“Because I’m askin’ ya.  Can ya do that?  Can ya hold my cum in your mouth for a few seconds?”   
She smiled and answered by sliding his cock in her mouth.  Fuck this wouldn’t take long at all.  He’d managed to keep from beating off, well, except for once.  He let her know, breathing out, “Not gonna take much, Angel….”   
She squeezed his thighs where her hands were resting to let him know she heard.     
Angel was killing him, keeping him just in her mouth instead of taking him to the hilt like she usually did.  She looked up at him: body glistening from the shower, and looking back down at her, pushing her hair out of the way to watch her.  Keeping that intense eye contact, she slammed him down her throat a few times, watched him throw his head back and cry, “OH FUCK ANGEL”, felt his balls tighten up and pulled back and he exploded again and again in her mouth.   
As soon as he stopped, he pulled her up, looked at her for a second, then kissed her, forcing his tongue into her mouth.  His still hot cum slid into his own mouth and they both swallowed greedily, spilling some down their bodies to be swept down the drain by the running shower.  Daryl broke the kiss and began licking the spilled cum off of her: down her chin, along her neck, and down her chest, collapsing to his knees in front of her.  To say she was surprised was an understatement.

He then tugged at her, making her sit down on the built in bench.  He pushed her legs apart, looked at her with a feral look and said, “Spread ‘em wide, little girl, it’s MY turn.”  She scooted her butt to the edge of the seat, and opened her legs as wide as she could, until her toes were touching opposite glass walls.  Daryl gave a growl and dove in.   
Angel couldn’t believe how good it felt.  After 2 weeks of nothing, it felt like she was getting her pussy licked for the first time.  She looked down and saw Daryl looking up at her, he loved to watch her lose herself when she came.  She grabbed a fistfull of his hair, and ground his face into her twat and he gladly obliged, making loud smacking sounds as he ate her like she was his last meal.  Angel didn’t take long either.  Before she knew it, her ass was off the seat, Daryl holding her tightly to his face as she cried out her release, legs wrapped so tight around his neck she briefly worried about suffocating him.   
He gently placed her back on the seat, giving her slow, gentle licks.  She was always very sensitive afterward, and he didn’t want to hurt her, he wanted to bring her down slowly.  When her legs finally stopped twitching, he sat next to her on the bench, pulling her to him.  She looked up at him, wide eyed, and asked, “What the hell was that?  I mean, I’m not complaining, but…”  He turned a little pink, then finally said, “I tasted my own cum once when I was a teenager.  Just outta curiosity.  It weren’t bad, just...different.  Ya swallow it all the time.  And I remember that first time, ya were surprised that I would kiss ya afterward.  I sure as hell ain’t afraid of my own cum that came outta my own damn body.”   
“The girls in school used to call doing that a ‘snowball’.  They all said their boyfriends threatened to slap them if they ever did it.”   
Daryl shook his head.  “Fuckin’ cowards.  They all wanted them ta swallow, right?”  She nodded, and he continued, “Like I said that first time: it ain’t battery acid, just cum.  Ya kiss me after I eat ya all the time.  My own damn cum don’t scare me, ‘specially when it’s comin’ outta ya mouth or ya pussy…”  Daryl trailed off and cupped his hand around her still hot little cunt and smiled.  “Which I plan on fuckin’ just as soon as we get outta here.”  Angel quickly turned off the water and gave him a towel.


	43. Chapter 43

Daryl stood behind Angel watching as she towel dried her hair.  Nope, they weren’t going to make it to the bedroom for this round.  He stalked up behind her, pushed her over the counter and was inside her before she could say or do anything.  She gave a quiet cry of, “Hell yeah, dammit,” and lifted her left leg up on the counter.   
He grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her head back.  Forcing her to watch their reflection in the mirror, he said roughly in her ear, “Ya think I didn’t know ya was teasing me just now?  All naked and drying ya damn hair?  I know ya, dirty little girl, better than ya know yaself.”   
“Fuck you,” she muttered back at him.   
“Ya wanna play that way, bitch?  Alright then.”  He pushed her chest back down against the counter, and without missing a beat, started slapping her ass while he fucked her.  Angel put her hands along the bottom of the mirror and pushed back against him.   
“That’s right,” he told her, “ya love that cock, don’t’cha?”

“Yeah,” she managed to breathe out.

Daryl grabbed her hips tightly and demanded, “Who do ya belong to?”   
“You.”   
“Who?”

“Daryl fucking Dixon!”   
He pulled his cock out of her, spun her around so she faced him, seated her on the counter, then slid back into her and resumed his jackhammering of her pussy.  Angel was soaking him, and his eyes were fixated on watching his cock slide in and out of her.  He growled at her, “Two goddamn weeks, woman.  Can’t be gettin’ sick like that.  I was ‘bout ready ta start climbin’ the damn walls.”   
“I’m sorry, baby,” she moaned.  “I’ll take better care of myself from now on.”   
“Damn fuckin’ right ya will!”   
Daryl was transfixed by Angel’s hot little box: stretched to it’s limit and getting redder and redder from the abuse he was putting it through.     
“I’m so close, baby,” Angel whispered, throwing her head back and closing her eyes.   
Daryl buried himself to the hilt in her, feeling the tip of his cock pressed against her cervix, and stilled, grabbing her chin and putting her nose to nose with him.  “Open those eyes, little girl.  I want you to watch when I unload in ya.”  He slid his hand down from her chin between their bodies and resumed his fucking while he rubbed her clit, growling at her, “Don’t ya dare fuckin’ cum, girl!  Don’t ya dare!”  Angel bit her lip and tried to will herself not to cum, although Daryl was pushing her towards that very goal.  “Daryl!” she cried pleadingly.   
“Beg for it, girl!  Beg for me ta let ya cum!”  He was close himself, she wouldn’t have to beg much.   
“Please, Daryl, please!”   
“Keep ya eyes on me bitch!”   
“I will!  Please!”   
“CUM NOW!” he roared.

Eyes wide and fixated on Daryl, she clenched around him tightly, and her body bucked so violently, she almost came off the counter.  She couldn’t stop saying, “YES! YES!”

He kept the eye contact and he emptied himself into her, shot after shot, crying out unintelligibly.  

 

Daryl collapsed against the counter, cock still inside her.  Angel was leaned back against the mirror, and his head was resting against her beautiful breasts.  Grinning to himself, he slid down between her legs.  She protested weakly, “No, baby, it’s too sensitive.”   
“Shh, baby.  I’ll be careful.”

He began licking her gently, and as she looked down, she realized what he was doing.  He was licking his own cum out of her pussy, very gently.  This was not him trying to get her off, this was him proving his point.  He looked up at her, and she gently ran her hands through his hair.  “I know you would,” she told him, “but you don’t have to…”   
“Shh…”   
  
He worked slowly and methodically, spreading her lips gently, and swiping his tongue inside.  When he was done, he gently inserted his finger to make sure, then pulled it out and licked it clean.  “Squeaky clean, babe,” he said quietly.   
Angel pulled him to her and pushed her tongue in his mouth, tasting the both of them on his tongue.  “I love you, Daryl,” she murmured.   
“I love you too, Angel.”

 

It took them an hour to get from the bathroom to their bed, making a pit stop to fuck in the hallway and again on the bedroom floor before finally falling into bed exhausted.  Now his princess was asleep in his arms as he stroked her hair and thought things over. Daryl was so glad she was well.  It had nothing to do with being able to fuck her, he remembered what happened at the outbreak at the prison.  Not everyone who got sick survived.  He couldn’t handle losing her.  She was his, and he was hers.  That was all there was to it.  He needed to talk to Rick.     
  
It was only 4 p.m., and still light.  Daryl got up quietly and started dressing, and heard Angel sleepily mumble, “Daryl?”  He slid back next to her, her little body all warm with sleep, whispering, “Gonna go see Rick real fast, then I’ll be back.”  Angel mumbled, “K…” and fell right back to sleep.  He grabbed the ring out of his bedside table, and just watched her sleep for a few minutes, then went downstairs and out the door.

 

Jessie answered when he knocked and told him Rick was in the kitchen with Judith.  He walked in to find her in a high chair attempting to feed herself some spaghetti, but she was wearing most of it.  Daryl started laughing.  “Makin’ her feed herself?  Why?”     
“Well,” Rick began, “I tried to feed her and she kept trying to grab the baby spoon out of my hands, so I decided to let her do it herself.  The first thing she did was throw the spoon on the floor and grab the spaghetti with her bare hands.  Believe it or not, she’s gotten some in her mouth.  By the way, thanks for bagging a rabbit for Jessie.”   
“No problem.  I actually found a pasta maker.”   
“Well, damn.  Mrs. Neudermeyer won’t know what to talk about anymore.”

Daryl chuckled at that.  Judith seemed to be done with her dinner, so Rick took the plate and Daryl got a little washcloth to clean her up.  When he was done, she raised her little arms for him to pick her up, giving him a toothy smile, and as always, his heart melted.  When he picked her up, she put her little thumb in her mouth and rested her head on his shoulder, her little hand rubbing the scruff on his chin contentedly, big blue eyes looking at him.

Rick leaned back in his chair, watching him.  “What’s on your mind?  Before you say it, I know you come here to see Judy, but you got that look on your face again.”

Daryl rocked the little girl gently.  “I need ta tell ya something, but ya can’t say nothin’ to no one, not even Jessie.”   
Rick was intrigued.  “Okay, you have my word.”   
Daryl sat down, took a deep breath, and said, “I love Angel.”

Rick sat there looking at him, waiting for him to finish.  When Daryl said nothing, Rick told him, “Daryl, that’s not news.  Jessie knows that.  EVERYBODY knows that.  Is there something else?”

They sat in silence for a few minutes, then Rick put Judy down for a nap.  When he came back, Daryl said, “I’mma marry her.  Angel.  I’mma ask her ta marry me.  But I’m not sure how.”

Rick eyes got big and a huge smile broke out on his face.  He hugged him, saying “Congratulations, brother!”

Daryl looked nervous.    
“When are you planning to do it?”   
“Uh….I don’t know.  Soon, I guess.”   
“We need to get a ring for her.”   
“I got one.”  Daryl pulled the box out and handed it to Rick.  He opened it and whistled.  “That’s real pretty, she’ll like it.  Where’d you find it?”   
Daryl told him about the three cabins and all the good stuff in a couple of them.  He explained that they might want to go back with trucks for all the stuff.  “I got a little doll for Judith over at our place.  I’ll bring it by tomorrow.”   
“So,” Rick said, directing the conversation back.  “How were you gonna ask her?”   
Daryl chewed on a thumbnail.  “Not real sure.  I mean, I could always cook her a nice dinner...but I kinda do that anyhow.  I want it to be special for her.  But I’m not real sure how.  I never was much of a roses and candlelight kinda guy.  And if I suddenly became one, she’d know somethin’ was up, and I want ta surprise her.  I’m just not real sure.  But definitely soon.  I love her.  Wanna be with her for the rest of my life...if she’ll have me.”  Daryl lowered his head.  All his old doubts were coming back.  He was just a stupid redneck who never even finished school.  She worked her ass off in school and became a doctor.   
“Hey now,” Rick admonished.  “She loves you.  She doesn’t give a crap about who you were.  You saved her life and you guys fell in love.  With the way the world is, the two of you still found each other.  That’s pretty damn amazing.   Get on home and cook your woman some dinner and tell her you love her.”   
Daryl nodded his head.  Yeah.  He’d figure it out.

  
  


He walked back into the house to find Angel stirring something in a pot on the stove.  She turned and smiled at him when he came in.   _ ‘Now,’ _  he told himself.   _ ‘Do it now.’   _   Daryl walked over to her and said, “Can I talk ta ya for a sec?  Can ya turn this off?”   
“Well, sure.”  She turned off the burner and moved the pot to a cold one.  He took her hands and led her over to the island and sat down next to her.  “Daryl, are you ok?  Is everything alright?”

“Everything’s fine, babygirl.  I just really need ta talk to ya….Angel, are ya happy?”   
She gave him a confused look and said, “What do you mean?  Like, am I happy right this second?  Well, yeah, sure.”   
“No, I mean….are….are ya happy with...with me?”   
Angel’s face paled.  “Oh my god...are you breaking up with me?  Is this a breakup speech?”

“What?  No!  No no no!” he put his arms around her.

Angel took a deep breath, “You just about gave me a heart attack!  Daryl what’s going on?  What’s this about?”

  
Daryl looked at her.  Yes.  No matter what she said, he knew he would love her for the rest of his life.   
He stood, and put a hand in his pocket, palming the ring box.  Getting down on one knee in front of her, her pulled out and opened the box.   
“I can’t imagine my life without ya.  Ya my world.  Would ya be my wife?”   
  
Angel stood stock still her face blank.     
“Angel?”   
Finally, a smile slowly broke out across her face, “For real?”   
Daryl smiled back, “Fer real, babygirl.”   
“Hm….Angel Dixon.  I think I like the sound of that.  YES!  Yes, I’ll marry you!”


	44. Chapter 44

Daryl took the ring out of the box and slipped it on Angel’s finger, it fit perfectly.   “Daryl, it’s such a pretty ring!  Wait a minute….you didn’t pull a Glenn, did you?  Did you get this off a walker?  Should I go disinfect it?”

He started to laugh.  “Nope.  Found it in the box in a house.  Been thinking about this for awhile now.  Was gonna go back ta the jewelry store for one, but this one seemed perfect for ya.”

He wiped his forehead.  He hadn’t even realized he was sweating.  Angel looked at her ring, and smiled up at him.  He still couldn’t believe his luck.   
“Are you sure about this?  I’m the girl you want….forever?” She seemed unsure.

“Babygirl, even if ya said no, even if ya ran my ass outta town, I’d love ya till my dyin’ day.  Couldn’t stop if ya told me to.”

She threw her arms around him.  “I’m going to make you so happy, Daryl.  I promise.”   
“Ya already do, babygirl.  Every single day.”   
  
Angel couldn’t believe it.  She was going to be married!  “I should go tell Rosita!  And Maggie!  And everyone!  Is that ok with you?” she asked Daryl.   
“Yep, I’ll go tell Rick and Jessie and the kids.”   
“Daryl?”   
“Yeah?”   
“You’ve really made me the happiest girl in the world right now.” She smiled at him and headed out the door.  He heard her yell outside, “Maggie!  I’m getting married!’ followed by the sounds of squealing females.  He smiled, rolled his eyes and headed over to Rick’s to share the news, with a big smile on his face.

 

They say news travels fast in small towns, and Alexandria was no exception.  By the next morning, everyone in town knew that they were engaged. They weren’t sure of a date just yet because they weren’t sure of the ceremony.  They didn’t want to get married in the church.  Everyone would be invited, and the church was just too small.  Deanna suggested getting married by the small man made lake, and Abraham offered to make an arch way for them to stand under.  It started to come together piece by piece.  Everyone offering to make and bring food for a reception.  

Then the best part happened.   
Some of the guys went back to Licolnia to start clearing stuff out of the fabric store in the same strip mall the Angel and Daryl had gone to for the shoes.  They came back with several fancy sewing machines and a few dozen bolts of fabric - and they had barely made a dent in the big store.  They were going to be going back several more times.  Dana came to visit Angel one day in the clinic.

 

“Well hi there, Dana!  What can we do for you?  Isabella isn’t sick is she?” Angel asked.

“Nope, I am here on a purely social call.  Have you thought about a wedding dress?” Dana asked with a smile.

“Well, there aren’t many dresses in town...I hadn’t thought much about it...”   
“Well..the guys brought back some sewing machines.  And lots of fabric.  There’s a whole bolt of white silk.  How would you feel about it if I made you a dress?  Nothing too fancy, just something simple and elegant?”   
Angel’s eyes got big.  “You could do that?”   
“I can and I would if you’d like.”     
Angel was so excited.  Never in her wildest dreams did she think she’d get a custom made dress!  “I would love that!”  Dana said that she’d work on some sketches over the next few days and then they could look them over.

 

After work, Angel stopped over at Rick’s house.  “Can I talk to you about something?’ she asked.

“Sure thing, have a seat.  What’s on your mind?”   
Angel had been thinking about it for a few days, a little surprise for Daryl, and she got Rick on board.  The next time they went to the fabric store in a few days, he would get what she needed.

 

That night when they got ready for bed, she told him, “Dana offered to make me a wedding dress.”   
“Oh yeah?”   
“Uh huh.  White silk.”   
Daryl snorted.

“What’s so funny?”  Angel asked as she pulled back the blankets on the bed.

“A white dress?  Ain’t that s’posed to be for virgins?  Even if ya’d been one when we met, ya sure as hell ain’t no more,” he chuckled.

Angel just stood there, staring at him.  He looked up at her, and knew he’d stepped in it.   
“Ah shit, I didn’t mean nothin’ by that, babygirl.  I ain’t no virgin, neither.”

“No, you’re not.  You’ve probably had more sex than I have.  I regularly worked 18 hour days, I didn’t have time to go out to bars and try to get laid.  Sorry I’m not Little Miss Purity for you,” she said, bitterly.

“Dammit,” Daryl muttered.  He crawled over on his knees to her side of the bed where she stood with her arms crossed.  He remembered seeing a movie on TV once where the girl had said, “Love means never having to say you're sorry.”  What a crock that was.  Love meant saying “I’m sorry” a LOT.

“Babygirl,” he reached up and she allowed him to uncross her arms.  “I’m sorry.  I done told ya before, I ain’t never had a girlfriend, and I sure as hell ain’t never had a fiancee.  I’m still trying to learn.  I didn’t mean nothin’ by it.  I just meant with as much as we’re all over each other, ain’t neither of us a virgin.  Not by a long shot.  And wearin’ white, it’s just tradition.  If you wanna wear white, I think ya should.  And I bet you’ll be the most beautiful bride there ever were.”  He pushed her little top up and kissed her tummy.  “Ever, ever.”  Another kiss, and she was smiling.  “And I get ta have ya all ta myself.”  Another tummy kiss, then he lifted her up and flung her on the bed, rolling over and straddling her.   
“Daryl!”   
He was back at kissing her tummy, working his way up as he slid the shirt up slowly, “I love hearing ya scream my name, little girl…”

 

A few days later, Dana dropped by the clinic with some sketches.  Angel looked through them carefully.  “I like this one, but I’m not keen on strapless dresses because...well..” Angel hedged.

Dana looked at her and said, “I think I see what you mean.  But what it I add  straps and just adjust the neckline….” she said as she updated the sketch.  When she finished, she pushed it across the table to Angel and Rosita.  Angel broke into a huge grin and asked her, “Can you really do this?”   
“Yes.  I’d be honored to.”   
“I think we just got my wedding dress!”

 

Not long after Dana left, Rick stopped by.  “Hey Angel!  I got...uh, that thing you wanted when we went to the fabric store today.”  He handed her a small parcel, and she opened it.   
“Thanks so much, this is just what I wanted!”

 

After work, she headed home to wait for Daryl.  She wanted it to be perfect when she got home.  She heard him come in, then call up the stairs, “Ya home, baby?”   
“Yeah, I’m in the bedroom.  Can you help me with something in here real quick?”   
Daryl walked in and couldn’t believe his eyes.  He had given her the little red and black teddy the day he found it, and she had just folded it and put it in a drawer.  But here she was, with her hot little body poured into it.  He couldn’t speak, he was afraid he was dreaming.

Angel wasn’t sure of what to do.  Seduction wasn’t her strong suit.  And Daryl was just staring and not saying anything.  Maybe he thought she looked stupid.

Her robe was draped over the foot of the bed, and she began to reach for it, mumbling, “This was a dumb idea.”  But then Daryl spoke, his voice rough and desperate, “Please don’t.”

She froze.  Never taking his eyes off of her, he walked over to the bed and sat down.  He took off his boots, still looking at her.  Then he crooked his finger at her.  “C’mere, beautiful.”

Angel walked over and stood in front of him.  He looked her over, starting at those hot pink painted toenails and working his way slowly up.  He stopped at the bow at the bust, seeing something in the knot.  “What’s that?” he asked her.

“It’s something for you, pull the bow and see.”   
He gently pulled out the bow and undid the knot.  It was a ring.  It looked like it had been hand hammered.  He just kept turning it over in his hand.    
“Do...do you like it?” Angel asked.  “If you don’t, I can find something else.  I just figured you wouldn’t want anything super fancy.  If you do, we can get a different one…”   
Daryl looked up at her.  “I ain’t never got presents before.”   
“That’s not true.  Isabella made you a bracelet.”   
“I ain’t never got nothin’ like this.”   
“It’s your wedding ring.”  She took the ring from his hand, kneeled down in front of him, and said, “Daryl Dixon, will you marry me and make me the happiest woman in the world?”

He huffed a laugh and said, “Of course I will, woman!  I already asked ya!”   
“And now I’m asking you,” she said as she slid the ring on his finger, relieved when it fit perfectly.   
Daryl wiped at his eyes.  Damn this wonderful woman of his, making him tear up more than he ever did as a kid.   
“Yes, Angel.  Yes, I will happily marry you!”  He stood and picked her up in his arms, kissing her, then set her down and took a step back, admiring the view.  “Damn girl.  That sexy number looks like it was made for ya.”   
“You like?”   
“Oh yeah, I like.  I like a lot.  Can I finishing unwrapping ya from this thing?  The ring is nice, but my own Angel...that’s the real present.”

 

Daryl slid the straps down her arms, exposing Angel’s amazing tits.  “Damn, babygirl, ya fuckin’ defy gravity!”  Angel just chuckled and said, “One day they’ll fall, then you won’t want me anymore.”  Daryl’s head snapped up.  “Ain’t never gonna happen, girl.  Never.  I’m gonna get old and gray with ya.”

 

Angel hugged him when he said that, inadvertently burying his face in her massive boobs.  He let out a “Mmmph!’, making her let go.  “I’m sorry, Daryl”, she said, laughing.     
“Don’t be.  That was a happy noise I made!”

 

He gently swung her down to the bed on her back and laid on top of her.  He pushed her breasts together, getting her nipples as close as he could, licking first one and then the other.  Angel let out a moan, and Daryl muttered, “I know, been neglectin’ ‘em…”  She wrapped her legs around him, and he starting working on one nipple with his tongue while gently flicking the other one with his index finger to keep it hard, then switching.

“Shit, Daryl….” Angel was moaning and writhing.  Daryl suddenly wondered if she could come from him working on her nipples alone.   

 

He kept up his assault on her breasts; licking, sucking, pinching…  Angel was making the most glorious sounds he’d ever had grace his ears.  He had his knee wedged firmly against her crotch, and she was grinding against it, desperate for friction.  He could feel how wet she was through the fabric covering his knee, she was soaking him.  He could smell her wetness, and it was keeping him rock hard.

 

Daryl finally looked down at her, writhing and covered with sweat, and he was starting to sweat, too.  Fuck this,  he was done playing around.  He slid the lingerie off of her body, and slid his cock into her easily.   
“Oh fuck, Daryl.”   
“I got ya, babygirl.”

 

He set a slow pace, nice and easy.  Pumping into her slowly and still attacking her nipples.  Suddenly she just said, “Oh Daryl...oh god…”  Her back arched and her pussy squeezed around him.  He just held her and watched her buck and moan softly.  “That’s it, babygirl,” he encouraged her softly.  She let out a sigh, collapsed back on the bed, and opened her eyes to see him smiling gently at her.

 

“That was weird,” Angel said, “it felt good, but I know I’m usually a screamer…”   
“I ain’t worried.  I felt ya.  It was nice ta watch, too.  Sometimes they’re different I guess.”

 

Daryl started pumping into her again, a little faster now, working towards his own release, looking into those eyes of hers, always so full of love for him.  It came unexpectedly and sudden, and he, like Angel, let out a few soft moans, collapsing on her with a sigh.  She wrapped her arms around him, and he whispered into her neck, “My beautiful, beautiful wife.”

 

The next day found Daryl proudly showing everybody his wedding ring.  He loved it, and he was so proud of Angel for knowing exactly what he wanted.  

 

The week went by quickly, and Dana popped into the clinic to see Angel one day, with something folded into a blanket.  Angel and Rosita were just hanging out when she arrived, smiling.  “Angel, I have your dress.”   
“Already?” she asked, eyes wide.

“Yep, no TV or anything to distract me, and besides, it was a pretty simple pattern.  I folded it in the blanket so it wouldn’t get dirty.  Want to try it on?”   
“YES!”

 

Dana unfolded it gently and held it up.  Both Rosita and Angel were quiet, eyes wide.  Rosita spoke first.  “Wow.  Just….wow.  That’s so beautiful!”  Dana handed it to Angel, and Rosita drew the curtain so she could try it on.  Dana spoke through the curtain, telling her, “If anything doesn’t fit right, I can fix it quick.  I gave it a train, but just a small one.  Let me know if….” her voice trailed off as Angel walked out from behind the curtain, smiling.

 

“Oh Angel,” Rosita whispered.  “You look amazing!”

The dress fit perfectly.  It showed off Angel’s figure without being too revealing or cheap looking, and the short train was perfect.  Dana showed her where she had sewn a little hidden fabric hook in the bottom to lift the train, so it wouldn’t get dirty on the way to the lake.  She was thrilled with how it looked on Angel, there would be no need for adjustments.

Angel posed in the dress for a few minutes then said, “I can’t wait to show it to Daryl.”   
“No!” Rosita piped up.  “He can’t see you in your dress until the wedding!”   
“He won’t see me in it.  He’ll see it on a hanger.  I do live with him, you know.”   
“Are you sure?”  Dana asked.  “I could keep it at my place if you’re superstitious.”   
“I’m not,” Angel said, smiling.  “This baby is coming home with me.”

 

After she got home, Angel hung the dress on a hook on her closet door.  It was damn gorgeous.  She heard the door close downstairs, and Daryl called out, “Honey, I’m home!”  Angel rolled her eyes, closing the closet door, she said, “I’m up here.”  Daryl took the stairs two at a time and walked in the bedroom.  Angel gave him a look and said, “You’re all filthy!”   
“Well, yeah.  I was working on reinforcing that back wall with Abraham.”   
“Go take a shower. I want to show you something but you need to clean up.”   
Although that made no sense to Daryl, he did it anyway.  He came back in the bedroom a few minutes later with a towel around his waist.  “Ok, babygirl.  What did ya wanna show me that I had to get cleaned up for?”   
Smiling, Angel pulled the dress out of the closet and held it up in front of her.  “Dana finished my wedding dress.”  Daryl was speechless.  He didn’t know much about women’s clothes, but even he thought it was beautiful.  He reached out to gently touch the fabric.  Before he could ask, Angel told him, “It’s silk.”

Daryl ran a hand through his shaggy hair.  If that was her wedding dress, what the hell was he supposed to wear?  A suit?  He never even owned a suit.  Finding one now wouldn’t be easy.

Angel’s smile faltered.  “Don’t you like it?”  Turning to get dressed, Daryl said, “Yeah, it’s nice,” over his shoulder.  Hanging it back on the hook, Angel said, “Nice?  Daryl, it’s gorgeous.  Dana worked on it all week for me.  She designed it just for me.  It’s literally one of a kind…”   
“I said it was nice, didn’t I?” he said with an edge to his voice.  “Don’t see why I had ta shower ta look at a dress ya only gonna wear once.”

Angel was heartbroken.  “Daryl, don’t you want to marry me?”   
He turned ready to snap at her again, but saw her face.  Her lip was quivering, and her eyes were full of tears.

He sighed.  “Ya know I do, sweetheart.”   
“Then why are you being so mean to me?  I know dresses aren’t your thing, but I was really excited to show it to you, and you just totally shit all over me.  I asked you to shower because I thought you’d be as excited as me.  I thought you’d hug me while I was holding it, and we don’t have dry cleaners, you know, and….”   
Angel looked at him.  He had his eyes on the ground.

She took a step toward him.  “Why are you so mad?  What did I do?”

Daryl ran his hands through his hair.  “Ya ain’t done nothin’ wrong, girl.  Shit, this is all me.  I mean look at that fancy dress.  I ain’t got no suit to stand next to ya.  I ain’t got nothin’ to offer ya.  I never did.  If this place fell tomorrow I’d be leaving with exactly what I came with: the clothes on my back and the shoes on my feet.  The same as when I got here.  The same as before the dead walked.  I love ya, Angel.  I love ya so much and I wanna give ya everything.  But I got nothin’.”

Angel was quiet, then just went and put her arms around him.  “Damn, Daryl.  You knew I grew up as a dirty hillbilly girl.  Even after I was a doctor, I was always broke.  I worked at Atlanta General, where people went if they couldn’t afford to pay.  I barely made rent on my crap ass apartment in the ‘hood.  I used to hear gunshots on a regular basis.  At least once a week, there were police ‘copters over my building.  I mean I had JUST paid off my damn student loans before the shit hit the fan.  I’m still pissed about that.  I don’t care what you wear.  I don’t care what I wear.  I just want to be your wife, that’s all.  I love you, Daryl.  Because you’re you.  Not for any other reason.  I’m in love with the guy who helped rescue me in the woods.  I fell in love with him that day.  And I’m not talking about Aaron either, smartass!”   
Daryl smiled, she knew him well.   He looked at her and looked at her dress.  He bet she looked amazing in it.  Maybe he didn’t have to wear a suit.  Maybe he could just wear some nice pants and a nice shirt.  Maybe a tie.  Then he wouldn’t feel so damn ashamed, like he was some redneck marrying Princess Di or something.   
“Wear the dress, babygirl.  Please.  I can’t wait ta see ya in it.  Bet you look beautiful.”


	45. Chapter 45

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And of course, there is some bad luck......

They decided to get married as soon as they could.  Daryl and Rick checked around and found that Harold (the fish hook guy) was close to Daryl’s size, and had a button front white shirt and some dress pants that Daryl could borrow, and Tobin offered to let him use a nice tie.  Daryl just wanted to look nice for her.  Abraham said he could finish the archway within a week, and Maggie and Rosita were going to pick wildflowers out of one of the fields to wrap around it and make it pretty and for a wedding bouquet.

 

A few days before the wedding, Rosita came into the clinic a little late, smiling shyly.  Handing something to Angel, she said, “This is for your wedding.”  It was a leg garter, made of white silk with a little blue bow on it.  Rosita continued, “They say ‘something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue’.  This is ‘something blue’.  You gotta have one for Daryl to throw to all the single men.”   
“Rosita, where did you get this?  It’s perfect.”   
“I made it.  Well, Dana helped.  She showed me how.  We used some of the leftover dress fabric and some blue ribbon.”   
Angel hugged Rosita.  “I love it, it’s absolutely beautiful.  It’ll be a shame to let Daryl throw it.”   
“But you have to,” Rosita reminded her.  “It’s tradition.”

 

Daryl met her as she was leaving the clinic to head home.  He kissed her, took her hand, and started to walk with her.  Rick came running over in a panic.  “Have either of you seen Carl or Enid?”   
They looked at each other.  Angel shook her head, and Daryl said, “No, what’s going on?”   
“I can’t find them, either of them anywhere.  No one’s seen them in the last few hours.”   
Angel asked him, “Where’s Judith?”   
“She’s ok,  Carl asked Carol to watch her for about an hour, but he never came back.”   
Daryl spoke up, “Alright, let’s not go off half-cocked.”  A small group had begun to gather and Daryl started to delegate.  “Rick, get Judith and go home in case he comes back.  Harold, check with Spencer and see if they even went out the gates.  Tobin, check the houses that are empty.  They may have just wanted ta be alone.  Me and Angel will check the fields.  Abraham and Rosita, go door to door and see if anyone has seen them around.  Tara, go up in the tower and see if Sasha has seen ‘em.  Everyone meet back here in 30 minutes.”   
People scattered to search for the two teens, calling their names.  Daryl was pretty sure they were probably off somewhere, possibly getting naked.  Damn kids.  At least he’d slipped Carl some condoms.  He’d never seen a kid turn so red.   
Daryl and Angel searched all through the fields that hadn’t been tilled and were overgrown, and then talked to the people working in them.  Nobody had seen either of the teens but promised to report if they did.  Daryl told them, “If ya see ‘em, tell ‘em ta get their asses home.”

 

Thirty minutes came and everybody met back in the street.  According to Spencer, nobody had been in or out of the gates that day.  Sasha hadn’t seen anybody either.  Nobody had seen them.  It was like they’d just disappeared.  More people were coming over to find out what was going on, and Rick was beside himself.  

Some kids were playing soccer on what they called the “play field”, so Daryl and Angel asked them if they had seen either Carl or Enid, but none of them had.  They sat down on a nearby bench.  Angel said, “We’ve gotta be missing something, but I don’t know what.”  Daryl agreed, saying, “It’s something in plain sight, I know it.”   
Angel looked over to the side of the field and saw little Isabella.  She was looking at Angel and Daryl, but as soon as Angel looked at her, she averted her eyes, guiltily.  The light bulb went off over Angel’s head, and she ran over to Isabella, with Daryl right behind her  She knelt down in front of the little girl, asking her, “Have you seen Carl or Enid?”  The little girl kept her eyes on the ground, and shook her head.  Daryl spoke to her, “Sweetie, if you’ve seen ‘em, we need ta know.  They ain’t in trouble, we just gotta be sure they’re safe.  Please, darlin’.”  Isabella looked up at them and said, “But they made me promise not to tell!  They said it was a secret!”

“How about if you whisper it in my ear?”  Angel asked.  “Then it will still be a secret.”  Isabella thought for a second, then said, “Okay.”  She whispered in Angel’s ear, and Angel said, “Really?  Could you show me where?”  The little girl nodded and led Angel to a small seam on the fence.  There was a screwdriver protruding through a hole, almost invisible.  “Thanks honey.  You can go play, I won’t tell.” The little girl scampered off and Angel turned to Daryl.  “Up and over.  Damn those kids.”  Daryl rolled his eyes.  “What the hell?  Carl knows better.  I’d think his girl does too.”

 

They decided to climb over the same way the kids did, and were surprised at how damn easy it was.  “We need to make these fences a little harder to get over,” Angel muttered as she swung her leg over the top and started back down the other side.

“Ya got that right,” Daryl said in return.  

 

They immediately started tracking them when they got on the ground, their footsteps were easy to follow.  They killed two walkers while looking for them, then found their tracks split, and several draggy uncoordinated foot prints.  “Shit,” Daryl said.  “Looks like at least a couple of walkers went after the both of them.”  They split up, knives still ready, looking for a sign of either teen.  “Enid!  You out here?” Angel hissed.  Nothing but the chirping of birds and the buzzing of insects.

 

Daryl followed Carl’s foot steps.  He followed them for about 10 minutes before coming to a dead walker.  Then he heard Carl’s voice say, “Daryl?” and he walked out from behind a small thicket of trees.  Daryl stood and said, “Dammit, boy!  Where they hell ya been?  Whole town’s going crazy lookin’ for ya and ya girlfriend!”     
Carl had the good sense to look guilty, then said, “We gotta go get Enid.  I lured them away.”   
“How many?”   
“Three.”   
“Yeah, we got the other two.   Angel’s out lookin’ for Enid.  But I’m takin’ ya ass back in, ya big dummy.”  They started to 100 yard trek back to the main gate.  He knew Angel would be ok.

 

Angel was still tracking Enid’s footsteps.  Damn, this girl got around.  She suddenly heard the girl's soft voice say, “Doctor Angel?”  She turned and saw Enid peek out from inside a tree.  “Dammit, Enid!  People are going crazy back behind the walls trying to find you and Carl!  Is he in there with you?”   
Enid came out of the tree.  “No, there were some walkers.  He had me hide in there while he led them away.  We just wanted to feel normal again.  Like the world was normal again, you know?”   
Angel looked at Enid for a moment.  “Look, I get it okay?  I really do.  But you guys are gonna get killed if you do that.  I’m sorry the world isn’t like it was, and I know it sucks because you remember it.  I think you guys should be passing notes in class, drinking booze at a party for the first time, and making out in the backseat.  But you can’t.  It’s not even the dead you have to worry about, honey.  It’s the living.  And judging from the look on your face, I think you know that.”

“Do you think Carl is ok?”   
“Yeah, Daryl probably already found him and took him back.  We should go back too…” she trailed off and looked out at the woods.   
“Doctor Angel?”   
Angel held up her hand for Enid to be quiet.

 

Angel had suddenly realized that the birds had stopped chirping and the insects had stopped buzzing.  That was never a good thing.  She could hear something coming...a lot of somethings.  A big, groaning, stinking mass of dead somethings.  Jumping up, she grabbed Enid and pushed her back into the hollowed out tree, squeezing in there with her.  Enid was scared, asking, “How many is it?”     
“Too many.  Just stay quiet.”   
Angel pushed the young girl behind her, pulling a knife out of her boot and handing it to her.  “Shh, just in case.”

They peeked out and waited for the herd to pass.

 

Daryl entered the gates with Carl and Rick ran to him.  “I’m sorry dad.  We weren’t trying to upset anyone.”   
“I’m so glad you’re safe,” Rick told him.  “I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to you.”  Looking up at Daryl, he said, “Thanks.”   
“No problem.  Gonna go back and find Angel.  She probably tracked down Enid by now.”

Rick’s walkie talkie came to life as Sasha alerted him.  “Rick we got a small herd.”   
“How many?”   
“About 20.  It looks like they may pass us, but I wanted to let you know.”   
Daryl spoke up, “Angel’s out there with Enid!  All she’s got are her knives!  I gotta find her.”  He ran into his house and came out with his crossbow, Michonne joining him with her katana.  They ran to the gates and Spencer quickly opened them, wishing them luck.

“Which way was she headed?” Michonne asked.   
Daryl led the way, far from the gates and deeper into the woods.

 

Enid and Angel hid quietly in their tree.  This mini-herd was so damn slow.  But Angel couldn’t peek out to see how many there were.  She had now way of knowing if it was only a couple, which they could outrun, or a thousand.  They just had to wait it out.  Maybe Daryl got back and was coming back with some help.  Either way, they would be stuck in that damn tree for a while.  Enid was a hider, like Angel had been.  Run and hide, live to fight another day.  But at times like this, it could be nerve wracking.  Especially because at this moment, she was responsible for someone other than herself.

And then the gunshots started.

 

Daryl and Michonne finally made it back to the tracks showing where Enid and Carl had separated and began to follow Enid’s and Angel’s footprints.  They knew they were well behind the mini-herd of 20 Sasha had seen.  He wasn’t too worried about Angel, but she had Enid with her, and she was just a kid.

Then far ahead of them in the distance, they heard gunshots.  Looking at each other, Daryl said, “That ain’t her.  She ain’t got a gun.”

 

Enid and Angel looked at each other when the heard the gunshots.  Enid asked her, “Maybe it’s our people?”   
Angel shook her head.  “No way.  If they were gonna be out shooting, they’d use silencers.”  Then Angel heard a sound that made her blood run cold.

Howling.

Men howling.

Like wolves.

 

Looking around the tree in a panic, she looked up and noticed it was hollow quite a ways up.  She turned to Enid and told her, “Up, NOW!” and gave her a boost.  Enid stepped on a tiny ledge made by the tree itself.  Angel hissed up at her, “Don’t make a sound and DO NOT come down no matter what!  Do you understand?”  Enid, in tears, nodded and said, “What about you?”     
“Don’t worry about me!”   
There was no more room up where Enid was in the tree.  She didn’t have anywhere to run.  Walkers in front of her, gunshots farther out, howling men.  This was it, and she knew it.  The wolves weren’t coming, they were already there.  She tried to be invisible in that tree, but it was no use.  Within seconds of getting Enid up there, a man walked into the clearing, shooting down the walkers.

He saw Angel in the tree.

“Well, well, you should come out of there, pretty lady.”   
“No thank you.  I’m fine.”   
“I weren’t asking.”  Two more men appeared behind the first.  One of them blatantly adjusted his crotch, saying, “‘Bout time we got another girl.  Yers is gettin’ boring.”   
The first man spoke to her again, a little more roughly.  “Come out of that tree, girlie, or I’ll come in and get ya, and it won’t be pleasant.”  Angel, fearing for Enid’s safety, stepped out.  The man smiled.  “That’s more like it.  I like friendly girls.”

Before Angel could even react, all three men were on her: one held her down, one gagged her, and one cuffed her wrists behind her back with zip ties.  She was jerked to a standing position, then the man in charge said, “Walk.”  Angel stood still, trying to kill time, hoping someone, ANYONE was coming.  A gun was put to her head and cocked, and she squeezed her eyes shut.  The man in charge said to her, “Yer awfully pretty.  You’ll be a lot less pretty with your damn brains splattered all over the forest!  Now WALK!”

 

Angel had no choice.  She walked.    
Away from Alexandria.   
Away from Daryl.   
And right into hell.

 

 

 

 


	46. Chapter 46

They started walking Angel through the forest, she was going as slow as possible, trying to stall, but they weren’t having any of it.  They yanked her arms painfully to make her keep up.  

 

Twenty minutes later, Daryl followed the tracks to the tree Angel and Enid had been in.  He saw the shot down walkers, but no sign of either woman.  He called out, “Angel!  Enid!”  And heard a young voice inside the tree say, “I’m in here, Mr. Dixon!”  He ducked inside, looked up and saw Enid.  He helped her down and asked, “Where’s Angel?”  Enid began to cry.  “They took her, Mr. Dixon!  They had guns and they took her away!”

Daryl face turned white.  He grabbed Enid shoulders and said, “Who took her?”   
“I don’t know!  She hid me.  They were howling like dogs or something -”   
“Like wolves?”   
“Yeah!”  Enid rattled off everything she could remember, but she hadn’t been able to see anything, only hear.  Daryl sank to his knees on the ground.   _ ‘I promised her,’   _ he thought bitterly.   _ ‘I promised her I’d keep her safe.  I promised her that the wolves wouldn’t get her, but they did.’ _

“Daryl!  Snap out of it!” Michonne said angrily.  Daryl jumped up.  “I gotta find her.  I gotta find her now.”  He started looking for tracks.   
“Daryl!  We need to go back!”   
“Are ya crazy?  That’s my woman out there!  I know damn well Rosita told ya what they do!”   
Michonne calmed herself and told him, “Daryl, we have to get Enid back behind the walls.  If they have guns, we need guns too.  If we go after her unprepared, we’ll all end up dead.”   
Daryl knew she was right.  The thought of turning away from the way Angel went seemed traitorous, but Michonne was right: they needed guns.  And more manpower.   _ ‘I’m gonna come for ya, baby,’   _ he thought, hoping somehow she would know.   _ ‘Just hang on, Angel.  Just hang on.’ _

He turned and they hustled back to Alexandria.

 

The wolves had already covered a few miles, Angel couldn’t imagine where they were going.  She just kept waiting for Daryl to pop out from behind a tree or something and kill these bastards.  They passed through a creek, and when they got to the other side, Angel silently removed her wedding ring and dropped it on the bank.  A bread crumb for Daryl.

 

An hour later, Daryl, Michonne, Abraham, and Tobin were out looking for Angel.  They got back to the clearing where Angel had been taken, and Daryl found her knife dropped in a pile of leaves.  She had given her other one to Enid.  That meant she was unarmed.  Dammit, they’d both been lazy and sloppy.  Here they were, telling Deanna everybody needed to be trained and prepared, and they didn’t take their own advice.  Enid and Carl both felt horrible, but Daryl couldn’t fault them.  They were just kids.  Angel had blatantly put herself in harm's way to protect the young girl.  They weren’t too sure about what had happened to Enid before she got to Alexandria, but they were both pretty sure it wasn’t good.

Two hours in, and they got to a creek.  Daryl was about to scream in frustration when his eye caught something shiny on the other side.  He waded across and picked it up.  “What is it?” Tobin asked.

Daryl didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.  Holding it up, he said, “It’s her wedding ring.  She’s leaving me a trail.”

 

It was nearly dark when the wolves got back to the camp they had set up near Bailey’s Crossroads.  As they walked up two guys came over to check Angel out.  One had blood all over his face and the other was cradling his arm.  She shrank back from both of them.  “What the hell happened here?” the leader asked as he untied Angel’s gag.  One man piped up, “They got bored and had a fight.”  The leader rolled his eyes.  Suddenly, Angel heard a familiar woman’s voice say, “Well well well.  Lookie who y’all brought back.”

It was Emma.   
She had taken up with the wolves.  Angel was both surprised and not.  She doubted Emma had any idea of who or what they were, but at the same time, she was also sure she didn’t care.  The leader looked at Emma and said, “You know her?”   
“Yep.  That’s the doctor bitch who stole my boyfriend!”   
Angel rolled her eyes.  “Get over it, Emma.  He said he’d rather stick his dick in a beehive than in your disgusting twat!  He was never your boyfriend!”   
The men in the camp roared with laughter at that.  “Shut up!” Emma screamed at them.  “It’s not funny!  Jacob, stop!  Make them stop!”  But the men continued to laugh.  When they finally settled down, Jacob said to Angel, “You’re a doctor?”   
“Yeah.”   
“Can ya fix these two fools who got in a fight?”   
“Can I?  Yes.  Will I?  Maybe.  What’s in it for me?”   
Jacob looked at her.  “You get to live.”   
Angel shrugged.  “I’d rather die than be your whore like she is.”  The men laughed again, pissing Emma off even more.   
Jacob said, “All right.  What do ya want?  We won’t let ya go, so don’t even ask.”   
Angel took a breath.  “I’ll treat them, but no one touches me.”   
The men all hollered objections, and Angel spoke again.  “That guy has a broken nose.  If I don’t set it, he’ll be a loud mouth breather for the rest of his life.  That guy over there has a dislocated shoulder.  If I don’t fix it, he’ll have only one usable arm for the rest of his life.  Just telling it like it is.”  She shrugged at the men.   
Jacob scratched at his grizzled chin.  A doctor could be useful for them.  He figured keeping her isolated from the men, at least for tonight, would be worth it.  “All right,” he said.  “No one touches ya...fer now.  Fair enough?”  Emma tried to complain, and Jacob gave her a backhand for her trouble, knocking her down in the process.  “Get into the tent and shut yer trap woman!”  Emma got into one of the tents, crying.  Angel did not feel sorry for her.   
Jacob cut the zip ties around her wrists and told her, “No funny stuff.”   
“Nope.  I will warn you though, what I gotta do will hurt.”

Angel walked up to the guy with the broken nose.  She had him tilt his head back and gingerly felt along his nose.  Looking at him, she said, “This isn’t the first time you’ve had your nose broken, is it?”  He looked shocked.  “How’d you know that?”   
“I can feel where it got broken before….it wasn’t set then, either.  Okay, grab onto something and stay as still as possible.”  He grabbed a large tree branch.  Angel placed her hands on each side of his nose, and with a loud, sickening crunch, pushed them together.  The guy yelled in pain, Angel told him, “Almost done!”  The she did it again in another spot on the bridge of his nose.  He howled again.  The crunching noises had made all these big tough guys recoil in horror.  The guy said, “What the hell, lady?!”  She smiled and said, “I set both breaks.  You’re welcome.”

She stood and walked over to the guy with the dislocated shoulder.  He had the sense to look afraid.  She knelt down next to him and gently probed his shoulder.  “Yeah, it’s dislocated alright.”  He looked at her and said, “It’s gonna hurt, ain’t it?”   
“Um….yeah.  A LOT.”   
“Hold on.”  He grabbed the edge of his shirt, stuffed it into his mouth to bite down on, and nodded.

Angel grabbed his upper arm firmly and placed her other palm against his shoulder.  “I’ll count to three, okay?”  The guy nodded and she said, “One…” then on two, jammed his shoulder into place.  He screamed around the mouthful of fabric, then spit it out, saying, “You said on three!”   
“I lied.”

He pulled back his arm, as if to slap her and she raised an eyebrow at him.  “Better?” she asked.  He rotated his arm, and said, “Well I’ll be damned.”

Jacob called Emma out, and told everyone to pack up the camp, again cuffing Angel’s wrists with zip ties.  “We’re goin’ now?” one guy asked.  “It’ll be dark soon.”   
“Exactly.  This doctor lady is probably important.  People might be out lookin’ fer her.  We’re movin’ now.”   
This wasn’t good.  Angel knew that if anyone was looking for her, they’d have to stop at night.  Even Daryl wouldn’t be able to track much in pitch black.  The camp was packed up in minutes and they started walking.  Behind her back, Angel slipped her thumb underneath one of the string bracelets Isabella had made her and silently snapped it off, dropping it on the forest floor.  Another bread crumb for Daryl.

 

Daryl’s group had to make camp for the night.  He didn’t want to do it, but Michonne had pointed out that they couldn’t track in the pitch black.  He didn’t want to go the wrong way and get even farther from her.  He had no way of knowing that Angel was getting farther from him by the second.

 

The wolves walked all through the night.  It felt like they’d gone 20 miles.  They set up a camp and perimeter.  Jacob made sure that it was understood that no one was to touch Angel….for now.  The guards stayed up and watched, the others pitched tents to sleep.   Angel was cabled to a tree, hands still zip tied behind her back.  Feeling around on the ground at the base of the tree, she found a small rock.  She used it to scratch a small capital letter “A” at the base of the tree.   _ ‘Please find me, Daryl.  Somebody.  Anybody.  I want to go home.’ _

 

They moved frequently.  Sometimes at night, sometimes during the day.  Sometimes it seemed like they were going in circles.  Daryl was always a day or two behind.   But she dropped her bracelets one by one, and he found every single one.  Finally, one day, she dropped her star bracelet.  Then she had no more bread crumbs.

 

Daryl was inconsolable when he found it.  The others had gone back to Alexandria, but Michonne refused to leave him.  When he found her star bracelet, he knew that was the last thing she had to leave.  There was nothing else.  He’d found a few “A”’s on trees, but how long before he couldn’t?  Those bracelets were how he knew she was still alive.  She was still fighting.  And he wept.  Michonne put her arm around her friend as he cried.  She cried, too.  She didn’t know Angel that well, but she still liked her.  And she liked how she’d made Daryl happy.   
It rained that night.  Daryl yelled and cursed at the sky.   
It washed away the tracks they were following.

 

Angel was gone.


	47. Chapter 47

_ THREE MONTHS LATER _

 

Daryl was going out to look for Angel again.  As he had done every single day.  He wore all of her string bracelets around his wrist, and had her wedding ring and star charm from her broken gold bracelet on a string around his neck.  He was loading up his packs on his motorcycle with Aaron helping him.  He was planning on being gone for just one day this time.  They had the garage door open, and Deanna walked in.  “Mr. Dixon, we need to talk about this trip you’re planning on taking.”   
“What about it?”   
“I won’t allow it.”   
Daryl looked at her and huffed a laugh.  “Lady, this ain’t ya choice or ya business.”   
“That motorcycle is Alexandria property,” she said, trying another tactic.  “We can’t keep letting you use it and use gas when we may need those things.”   
Daryl spun and faced her.  “Lady, before I got here, this bike weren’t nothing but a pile of parts in Aaron’s garage.  Parts that HE found.  And when I came back yesterday, I came back with a full tank and two filled gas cans for the cars that are here.  Don’t act like I ain’t doin’ my part.”   
“Mr. Dixon, how long do you plan to look for her?  It’s been 3 months since she was taken.  She may not even be alive.” 

Aaron winced when Deanna said that.  It was the wrong thing to say.  Daryl came barreling down on the woman.  “SHE AIN’T DEAD!  That girl ain’t dead.  I won’t never believe she is unless I see her corpse on the ground or comin’ for me!  That’s the problem with this damn town! Y’all are too damn ready to give up!  Ya gave up on some of ya own!  Angel ain’t dead, lady.  I’mma find her, bring her home, and marry her, just like we planned.  Ya got a problem with me comin’ and goin’, that’s fine.  I can just as easy stay gone.  But she ain’t dead, and I ain’t givin’ up on her.  I ain’t never gonna stop lookin’ for her.  NEVER.”  He turned to Aaron and said, “One day.  Tomorrow.”  Aaron nodded, and Daryl rode up to the gates.  Spencer wished him luck and opened the gates, and Daryl was gone.

 

Angel had stopped talking.  She just didn’t speak anymore.  Nobody listened to her anyway.  Nobody comforted her if she cried.  Nobody stopped hurting her when she screamed.  Sometimes she thought of the life she’d had before.  It was hard to remember.  Sometimes she was sure it was a dream or she’d imagined it.  Almost as though she hadn’t existed before the wolves.  She was their pack mule, their walker bait, their fuck toy.  Until they got sloppy.  Angel’s mind may have been mostly gone, but she watched and calculated.  And one day, she had her chance.  She was tired and weak from hunger, they barely gave her scraps, but she knew she could do this.  Jacob and Emma had gone to scout a new camp location, in an actual house.  One of the guys dragged Angel in the tent for a little “fun time”.  So very sloppy, they had become.  Not bothering to heed Jacob’s protocol of “all weapons left outside the tent” when they had Angel.  This guy dragged her into his tent still wearing a knife on his belt.  While he was fucking her, she reached down, grabbed it, and put it through his skull, silently.

She yanked the knife out of his head, and grabbed his machete as well.  Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy!  Angel poked her head out of the tent and threw the knife into the leg of the first of the group that she saw.  Running out of the tent, she was a crazed animal.  Five men, dead, all from her hand with the machete, all in seconds.  She swung it like the angel of death swinging his scythe.

Taking nothing with her except the machete, she walked in the direction opposite the setting sun.  East, she felt that she had to go East.  Wearing only the scanty, threadbare dress they had given her and barefoot as they had long ago taken her shoes to keep her from running, she headed East.

 

Daryl made camp that night.  He’d found another tree with an “A” scratched into it, but it was old and had moss growing on it.  He ran his finger over the mark.  She had touched that spot, leaving a message for him to find her.  It was the only connection he had to her, and it was breaking his heart.  He set up a perimeter with cans.  Nobody would go out with him to search anymore.  He knew they thought she was dead.  She wasn’t.  He could feel it.  He could feel her being scared and wanting to come home.  He could only imagine what they were doing to her, and it made his blood boil.  He didn’t care, he would take her back, no matter what they’d done to her.  Angel was the love of his life.  Period.  He would find her.  He would bring her back.  And he would always, always love her.  Daryl looked up at the sky, knowing that somewhere, she was under those same stars.  Was she thinking of him?  Was she hoping he was looking for her?   _ ‘I’m tryin’, babygirl,’  _  he thought to himself.   _ ‘Won’t give up ‘til I find ya.  Ya belong ta me...and I became ya property long ago.  I’ll find ya, Angel.  I promise.’ _

 

Red was up in the watch tower the next day with Rick.  They were expecting Daryl back some time today.  Red asked Rick, “Do you think Miss Angel is still alive out there?”  Rick sighed and said, “I’m not sure.  I want to.  But it’s been three months.  Those guys could have gone anywhere in North America.  I don’t know.  What about you?”   
Red thought about it.  “I think she’s still alive.  I really hope Daryl finds….is that a walker?”   
Rick followed Red’s gaze down to the road leading to the gate.  It was skinny and scraggly enough.  Raggedy clothes, limping along barefoot, and apparently female.  But it was carrying a machete.  Suddenly a walker loped out of the woods heading for her, and she lifted her machete and took off it’s head, barely even glancing at it.   
Red picked up the binoculars and peered through them.  He said, “Oh my dear lord.  Oh my dear god in heaven!”  He tossed the binoculars to Rick as he rushed down from the tower, yelling to Spencer, “Open the gates boy!”  Rick looked through the binoculars, and thought he was seeing a ghost.  “Oh my god!”  He rushed down the tower yelling at Spencer, “Get those gates open, NOW!”  People heard the commotion and came running.

 

Those who came running couldn’t believe their eyes.  This girl was skin and bones.  Her large eyes were sunken into the sockets.  There seemed to be bumps, bruises, cuts, and scratches on every inch of her body, and she was filthy.  Her long hair was matted and tangled.  She was barely covered in rags and was barefoot and limping.  But it was her.  It was unmistakeable.   
It was Angel.

 

_ ‘East.  Something important.  East,’   _ had been her only thought process.  She saw a large gate in her way and heard a commotion behind it.  Suddenly the gates opened, and several people stared at her.  There were mostly men, but a few women as well.  She didn’t think she knew any of them...but they weren’t completely unfamiliar, either.  But the men, she knew she couldn’t trust them.  One of them took a step toward her, saying, “Angel?  Is that really you?”  She didn’t know how he knew her name, but she took a step back, raising the machete.

Rick was the one who had spoken, and he raised his hands up.  “Angel, you know me.  Remember?  I’m Rick.  I’m your friend.”  She didn’t speak, and didn’t lower the machete.  Her eyes were wild as she tried to look everywhere and at everybody at once.  How did they know her name?  Where was she?  Who were these people?  Was this the place she had been trying to get to?

 

A young, dark haired woman stepped forward.  Again, she looked somewhat familiar to Angel, but she didn’t know why.

“Hi, I’m Rosita.  Do you remember me?” she asked softly as she took a tentative step forward.  Angel slowly lowered her machete, and the girl took another step toward her.   
“Do you remember living here?”  Rosita asked.  “You were our doctor.  You took care of everyone.  I helped you.”  Angel looked at the ground, clearly confused.  Rosita spoke again. “Do you remember Daryl, Angel?  Do you remember him?”  Angel’s eyes shot up to Rosita when she said Daryl’s name.  That sounded familiar, important.  Why?

Angel was exhausted, hungry, and in pain.  There was too much happening.  Too many people.  She rubbed at her sunken eyes with one skinny fist.  She was so confused.  Her eyes slid shut and she fell to the ground.

 

Rosita ran to her, exclaiming, “Angel!”  She pulled back an eyelid and checked her pulse.  Red was right behind her and asked, “Is she ok?”   
Rosita replied, “She’s alive.  Could you carry her?  I need to get her to the clinic.  She’s probably dehydrated and obviously severely malnourished.”   
Red picked up her tiny body.  “She doesn’t even feel like she weighs a penny,” he said softly.  Red had always liked Angel.  His heart broke for her in the state she was in.  Maybe she would be better when Daryl got back.

As if reading his mind, Rosita said, “I hope Daryl gets back soon.  He needs to know she’s back and she’s safe.  But I don’t know how she’ll react to seeing him.”  Angel was still unconscious as Red gently placed her on the gurney.  Rosita covered her with a blanket and placed an IV in her arm.  There was a commotion in the lobby as people entered.  Rosita told Red, “Go out there and don’t let ANYONE in.  She doesn’t need a bunch of looky-loos staring at her when she wakes up.  Send someone to find Carol, and get someone Daryl trusts to the front gate.  As soon as he gets here, he needs to know she’s here and she’s….not right.”  Red ran off to take care of things as Rosita checked Angel’s vitals.   
  
Daryl was riding back to Alexandria.  He pulled over for a few minutes and just sat.  He fingered her wedding ring on the cord around his neck and said quietly, “I’ll find ya, darlin’.  Don’t care if I gotta look every day for the rest of my life.  Ain’t much of a life without ya in it.”  He kissed her wedding ring for what seemed like the hundredth time, and wiped at the few stray tears that escaped from his eyes.  Daryl would go home, eat dinner, go over his maps.  Then he would go to bed in that big house that he was rattling around in, all alone, looking at her wedding dress hanging on the hook on the closet door.  He took it down a few days ago to shake the dust off of it - he wanted it to be ready for her when she got back - and caught the faintest whiff of her scent.  It was just barely there, then gone, and he’d collapsed to the floor, crying into her wedding dress and asking, “Where are ya, girl?  I need ya!”  He’d pulled himself together, making sure his tears hadn’t stained the silk, and smoothing out the wrinkles, and hung it back up.  She’d be home soon.  And they’d get married.  Any day now.  He was sure of it.  Because he couldn’t imagine any other way.

 

Rosita checked the bottoms of Angel’s feet.  They were cut to ribbons, she must have walked a long ways.  She carefully cleaned out the cuts and wrapped her feet in gauze as Carol came rushing in.  “It’s really true!  She’s really here!  Is she ok?”   
Rosita looked at Carol.  “No.  She is definitely NOT ok.”  She gave Carol the lowdown of what happened at the gate: from raising her machete at Rick to seemingly not knowing who anyone was and not speaking a word.  “She looked at me when I mentioned Daryl’s name, but it seemed like even she didn’t know why.  Carol, I have a good idea what happened to her.  It may have broken her mind.  She may never be ok.”  Carol helped Rosita tend to the unconscious girl, getting rid of the tattered dress she was wearing and replacing it with a medical gown, and cleaning and bandaging all of her many wounds.

 

Rick was waiting at the gate for Daryl.  He knew Daryl would insist on seeing her, but...Angel wasn’t well, that much was sure.  How bad was she or how long she would be that way was anyone’s guess.  While standing at the gate, he heard the telltale rumble of Daryl’s motorcycle.  Spencer opened the gate and Daryl rolled in, seeing Rick standing there.  He killed the engine and got off the bike, asking Rick, “What’s goin’ on?”  If Rick was waiting, something was up.

Rick rubbed the back his neck and said, “Um, we got some...news.”   
“‘Bout what?”   
“Angel.”   
Daryl froze.  News?  Please, no.  She couldn’t be dead.  He turned white.   
Rick put his hand on Daryl’s shoulder.  “Brother, she’s alive.”

Daryl looked at him, too afraid to say anything else.   
“And she’s here.”


	48. Chapter 48

Daryl swallowed hard, unsure he’d heard correctly.  “She’s...she’s here?  She’s ok?”   
Rick looked at Daryl.  “Well, she’s here and she’s alive.  She’s….not ok, not really.”   
“Where is she?”   
“The clinic, but, Daryl wait!” Rick called out as Daryl ran full speed for the clinic, ignoring everything else.   
  
Angel woke in the clinic, a heart monitor beeping.  She sat up quickly with a gasp, unsure of where she was.  That Rosita girl rushed over.  “It’s ok, Angel.  You collapsed so we brought you into the clinic.  Do you remember the clinic?  You used to work here.”  Angel looked around.  Again, it didn’t look completely unfamiliar.   
Rosita continued, “We went back to the birthing hospital not long after you were taken.  We got some more equipment and supplies, kind of cleaned the place out.  Do you remember the birthing hospital?  You went there with Rick and Tobin and Daryl to get an incubator for Jasmine.  Do you remember Jasmine?  You delivered her twins.  She gave the girl your name as her middle name.  Breanna Angel and David Daryl.  Remember?”

Angel just looked at her blankly.  She cast her glance down to her hand with the IV stuck in it and the finger sensor for the heart monitor.  Slowly she took off the finger sensor, then as she reached for the IV, Rosita told her, “No honey, you need to leave that in for a bit,” and Angel left it alone.  That proved to Rosita that Angel did understand them, more or less.

Carol came in from the storage closet, and Angel jumped and started to shake.  Rosita went to her saying, “It’s ok honey, it’s just Carol.  Remember Carol?  When you first got here, you lived in a house with her.  Her and Daryl.”   
She was trying to mention Daryl’s name as much as possible, but Angel didn’t really respond to anything she was saying.  Her only response seemed to be fear.  It seemed as though she could and would calm down around women, but she was afraid of how she’d raised her machete at Rick.

Angel looked down at her bandaged feet, and then noticed bandages on her arms and legs.  Finally she noticed that she no longer had her dress on, instead a medical gown.  Rosita assured her, “It was Carol and I that took care of you.  We bandaged you up and put the gown on you.  Nobody was in here.  We even had the curtain drawn the whole time, I promise.”

Angel’s eyes kept scanning the room, not really settling on anything.  Suddenly the door flew open and heavy footsteps ran across to the curtain and threw it back.

 

Daryl just stood and stared for a moment.  It was her.  She looked worse for the wear, but it was her.  He took a step toward her and managed to say, “Angel?”   
Angel jumped off of the gurney and ran to the other side of the room, her IV ripping out in the process.   _ ‘Man,’ _  her fractured mind thought.   _ ‘Get away from man!’   _ Unfortunately, there was no way out of there except past Daryl.  She ran over to the drawers that lined the wall.  Opening one, she began throwing anything she could get her hands on at him.  Luckily for him, that drawer seemed to be full of bandages and gauze.  She let loose with a heartbreaking wail.  Daryl was ducking the things she was throwing, stunned.  Finally Rosita grabbed Daryl and started dragging him out of the room, yelling to Carol, “See if you can calm her down!”

 

Red had kicked everyone out of the clinic, and was more or less guarding the waiting room, but he’d let Daryl go right in.  Judging from the commotion he’d heard, it hadn’t gone well.  Rosita came out into the waiting area dragging Daryl with her.  Daryl kept screaming, “Angel!  Angel!” and trying to go back in.  Rosita was trying to stop him, but she was tiny herself.  Red stepped in, grabbing Daryl from behind and pinning his arms.  Daryl fought with him, saying, “Let me go!  Angel needs me!  Somethin’s wrong!”     
Rosita snapped at him, “God dammit Daryl, SHUT UP!”  Daryl quieted down instantly, and stopped fighting Red.  Taking a deep breath, she said, “Daryl, she’s back.  But she’s not ok.”   
  
Back in the room, Carol was crouched on the floor next to Angel with an arm around her.  Poor Angel was shaking and crying, she seemed to be afraid of Daryl, and that made no sense.  Daryl loved her like he’d never loved anyone.  “Shh, shh, it’s ok honey.  He’s gone.  Why are you afraid, baby?  That’s Daryl.  Don’t you remember him?”

Again was that name: Daryl.  They kept saying it.  Who was he?  She had the feeling he was somebody important.  But all she could see was someone who, for all intents and purposes, looked like one of the Wolves.  And yet….and yet...why did her heart hurt so much?

Carol helped her stand and led her back to the gurney.  Her hand was bleeding from where the IV had been yanked out, and with as bad as Angel was shaking, Carol didn’t think she could put the needle back in.  She put a bandage on it.  “Here we go sweetheart,” she told her, easing the back of the bed into a sitting position.  “Why don’t you just sit back here.  I’m going to go over to the sink here, and get you a glass of water, ok?  You’re still a little bit dehydrated.”  Angel’s eyes tracked Carol as she got a glass and filled it with cold water form the sink.  Bringing it back to Angel, she swallowed it all in a few gulps, and then held it out in the direction of the sink.  “You want some more?” Carol asked, and Angel repeated the motion.  Carol refilled the glass and gave it to Angel, telling her, “Be careful, we don’t want you to be sick.”  She watched as Angel sipped the water slowly and carefully.  Carol thought to herself,  _ ‘She definitely understands us, even if she doesn’t say anything.’ _

 

Daryl’s heart was breaking.  Red recounted seeing her walk up, and Rosita told him how she had threatened Rick with her machete.  She told him, “She hasn’t said a word.  Except for that scream, we haven’t heard a peep out of her.”  Turning to Red, she said, “Could you give us a moment alone?”  Red nodded and went to stand outside the doors, still intent on protecting Angel.   
Turning back to Daryl, she told him, “Here’s the thing.  She covered in scratches, bumps, and bruises.  They aren’t all from travelling here.  I think the people who took her probably beat her.  And I’m pretty sure….I’m pretty sure they raped her...” Daryl’s head snapped up to look at her and she finished her sentence, “...multiple times.  Daryl, she’s in bad shape.  Physically, she’ll be fine.  But...honestly...she may never be right in the head again.  She doesn’t seem to recognize or remember any of us, or even this place.  I think she understands what we’re saying to her, but I don’t know that she’ll talk.  Ever.  I think they maybe broke her mind, Daryl.”  There were tears in Rosita’s eyes.  That was her friend.  “Daryl, I’m sorry, but aside from the physical, I don’t know how to help her.  I love her so much, I know you do, too.  But I don’t know how to help her.”   
Daryl was silent, then fingered her wedding ring on the cord at his neck, and looked down at his own ring that he had never taken off.  He said to no one in particular, “We’re supposed ta be married.  I love her.  I just….I love her.”  Rosita had never seen Daryl cry, but he was crying now.  “Rosita, I don’t know how ta live without her.  I feel like I wasn’t alive till I met her.  How do I live knowing she’s here and she’s afraid of me?  How do I do that?”   
“I don’t know, Daryl.”  Rosita was crying as well.  “But I’m going to do everything I can.  Tara’s girlfriend, Denise, was a psychiatrist.  I’ll get her to help.”   
Daryl stood.  “I gotta go.  I gotta go home.  She’s back and she’s safe.  That’s what’s important.  Take care of her for me.  If I can do anythin’, anythin’ at all, just let me know.  I’ll….I’ll stay away for now.”   
“I’m sorry, Daryl.”   
“Yeah, me too.”  Daryl walked out of the doors.  As he passed, Red told him, “She’s back, son.  She’s back home and she’s safe now.  That’s what’s most important.”   
Daryl nodded but thought to himself,  _ ‘Why do i feel so goddamn rotten?’ _

 

Angel’s head was full of confusion.  That Daryl person seemed to know her.  And she felt like he was important.  Important to HER, but she didn’t know why.  All she knew was he was a man, and the men could not be trusted.  They were all loud words, and hard sex, and flying fists.  Although she had reacted in a way that anyone would understand, she felt badly about it.  Why did she feel bad about being afraid of him?  It was his face.  He ran in and the look on his face was relief, relief and tears starting.  It turned into shock when she panicked, and hurt as Rosita dragged him out of there.  Everything was all jumbled together in her broken little mind.  She clutched her glass of water a little tighter and sipped at it.

 

Daryl walked back to his house.  Someone, probably Rick, had pushed the motorcycle back to his driveway, and put his half empty packs on the porch.  He always made sure he packed enough food for Angel as well as a few pieces of clothing for her to wear on the ride.  Sometimes it would get cold on the motorcycle.  He picked up the packs and made his way inside, dropping them on the floor in the kitchen.  He knew he should eat something, but he wanted a shower first.  Dragging his heavy feet up the stairs, he couldn’t put the fearful look on Angel’s face out of his mind.  He had always imagined she’d be happy to see him.  She would run and jump into his arms, and cover him with kisses, and they’d be happy again.  Everything would go back to the way it was.  Never had he imagined a scenario like what actually happened. 

He walked into the bathroom and took off his angel wing vest, and something caught his eye. Daryl didn’t know how he’d managed to miss seeing it for three months.  At the base of the mirror above the bathroom counter, smudged fingerprints.  Angel’s fingerprints.  From the marathon fuck session they’d had after she got over the flu: the bathroom counter, the hallway, and the bedroom floor.     
The day he’d asked her to marry him.   
A man could only take so much, and Daryl was no exception.  He walked over and gently touched his fingers to the marks on the mirror, then collapsed to the floor in the bathroom in tears.  Pounding his fists on the floor in frustration, he cried, “Why?  Why did this happen ta her?  She don’t deserve shit like that!  WHY?”

 

Rosita decided the best course of action for Angel was to stay in the clinic overnight until they could figure out what else to do.  She and Carol would split the evening each staying with her for half the time.  They were worried.  She still hadn’t said a word, and seemed to spend most of her time looking at the blanket covering her.  Worse still, Deanna had stopped by because she wanted to re-interview Angel.  She didn’t seem to understand that the girl was borderline catatonic.  What could they do with her?  She couldn’t be a doctor anymore, could she?  What if she couldn’t work at all?  Rosita pushed the thought out of her head.  Angel was family, and they would take care of her.  Looking over at the sleeping girl, she was sure of that.

 

The next morning Daryl woke to someone knocking on the door.  His body was sore, and as he opened his eyes, he realized why.  He had fallen asleep on the bathroom floor.   _ ‘Dumbass,’   _ he chastised himself.  Walking downstairs, he saw it was Rosita.  “Hey Daryl, can I come in for a minute?” she asked.   
“Yeah sure.”  He started some coffee and sat down at the kitchen table with her.   
“So,” she began, “got any plans for the day?”   
“Not real sure.  Been lookin’ fer her fer so long, now I’m not sure what to do since she’s back.  I never thought she’d...be like she is.”  He got up and poured them both some coffee, bringing the milk and sugar over to Rosita.   
“Thanks,” she smiled.  “Look, we don’t know what’s going on, but I don’t want you to give up on her.”   
“Rosita, I thought I’d find her and she’d be ok!  I thought I’d bring her back and marry her and everything would be normal!”   
“That could still happen!”   
“How, Rosita?  That girl is afraid of me!  The only woman I ever loved is scared of me!  Of me!  She’s actin’ like some abused housewife!”   
“Daryl!  That’s what she is right now!  Think about it!  You think they were holding her hand and telling her they loved her?  They were beating her, Daryl!  She’s got bruises all over her, and cuts too, from a knife!”

He thought back to the scars on her back from her stepdad.  “I just want her back.  I don’t want her ta be afraid of me.  I want her ta know I ain’t never gonna let anyone hurt her again.  EVER.  I want her ta understand.  I never gave up, Rosita.  Not for one day!  I looked for her everywhere!  Even when everyone else gave up, I didn’t.  Does she know that?”  He held out his wrist with her string bracelets still tied to his wrist.  “Does she know I have every single one of these?”  He pulled out the cord around his neck with her wedding ring and star charm on it.  “Does she know I have these?  Does she know I would have looked for her until the day I died?  Does she know I couldn’t live without her?  Does she know...does she know that no matter what they did, that I still love her?  Does she know?”  He was crying and so was Rosita.

“She WILL know, Daryl.  She’ll know because I’m going to tell her.  It’s only been a day.  It will take time.  She needs to remember, and that’s why I came.  Are her clothes still here?”   
“Yeah.”   
“She needs clothes.  Maybe her old ones will help her remember.”

They headed upstairs to pack up some of her clothes.

 

Angel awoke with a start.  It took a moment to remember where she was.  At first she thought she was still asleep and dreaming.  She was asleep on a hospital gurney-type of bed, the softest bed she’d had in months.  No cables holding her to a tree.  No men pawing at her.  The lady named Carol rushed over when she woke up, and immediately reminded her where she was.  She called it “Alexandria”.  She called it “home”.   She’d had a dream.  Carol had seen her smile in her sleep, but didn’t want to ask her about it.  Angel had dreamed of being warm and safe, much like she was now.  She dreamed of kind eyes, blue like the sky.  And sparkles.  Nonsensical, all of it.  She had gotten used to dreams of nonsense.  She had dreamed of tree houses before.  A VW Beetle.  A war zone.  Nothing that made much sense.  She didn’t know these were her memories.

 

Carol helped her have a sponge bath, just to feel a little bit better.  Deanna was insisting to see her today for her interview.  Absolutely ridiculous.  Rosita came with some clothes for her, her own old clothes.  As she pulled some things out of laundry basket, she looked at them curiously.  Like much in this town so far, they weren’t completely unfamiliar, it was giving her a sense of deja vu.  She pulled out a pair of jeans and a plain white tshirt to put on.  Rosita smiled, she had seen her in that same simple outfit at least a dozen times.  However, her smile was short lived when Angel put on the clothes.  Angel’s clothes had always fit her little body well, but now they hung off of her skinny little frame.  Angel herself frowned at her jeans, they were hanging off of her hips.  Rosita riffled through the laundry basket and produced a belt.  Angel was pushing her feet into some sneakers when Rosita said to her, “We’re going to take you for a little walk today.  Not far, we’re just going to see Deanna.  Do you remember her?”  Angel just looked at her blankly.  No emotion, nothing.  It was a little spooky.  Carol told her, “You might see some men walking around-” At the mere mention of men, Angel jumped off the gurney and backed herself into the corner of the room.  “No no no, it’s ok!” Carol continued.  “We’ll be with you the whole time.  We won’t let any men get close to you!  We promise!”

Angel relaxed, somewhat.  Then she remembered her machete.  She suddenly started running around the room, looking for it: opening drawers and cabinets like a madwoman.  Rosita ran over to her, and tried to calm her, but Angel pushed her away. Rosita shouted, “Angel!  What are you doing?  Let us help you!”   
Angel made a chopping motion with her hand several times.  Rosita and Carol both looked confused, then Carol said, “Didn’t you say she had a machete?”  Angel whirled around at the word, and Rosita said, “Yes, but they took it to the armory.”  Walking over to Angel, she said, “Look.”  Rosita pulled up the hem of her shirt to show a knife strapped to her hip.  “Angel, we’re your friends.  We’ll protect you.  Look, I’ll even go out ahead of you and Carol and make sure no men get close, ok?  It’s only a few houses away, I’ll clear the way.”   
  
It took a lot of coaxing and Rosita clearing the way, but they finally got her over to Deanna’s.  But just as they expected, she didn’t say a word.  Deanna asked her where she’d been, what had happened, if she remembered anything.  Angel just sat looking at her with the same blank expression.  Deanna asked if she remembered living there before, if she remembered being a doctor.  Again, the same blank stare.  Finally Deanna turned off the video camera and asked Rosita, “What can we do with her?  She’s unresponsive and afraid of half of our residents based on their sex.”   
“We take care of her.”  Rosita said.  “That’s all.”   
“But everyone works here.  She can’t work.”   
“So….what?  We throw her out?  We banish her?  The Meyer’s can’t and don’t work either.  We take care of them.  We’ll take care of her.  She’s family, Deanna.  If you throw her out, we’ll all go with her.”   
“I would never throw her out,” Deanna said.  “But we need someone to be responsible for her.”   
“I already talked to Tara and Denise.  They are willing to let her live with them and help take care of her.  We’re hoping that maybe Denise can help her.”

Deanna heaved a sigh and looked at Angel.  She was scanning the room, her eyes not resting on any one thing, her face unreadable.  She wasn’t a heartless woman, and she felt horrible for whatever had happened to the girl.  As long as someone was taking care of her, that’s all that mattered.   
“Alright,” Deanna said.  “Whatever we need to do for her.”


	49. Chapter 49

Rosita and Carol walked Angel over to the house Tara and Denise were living in.  Tara opened the door with a big smile, “Hi, Angel!  I’m so glad to see you again.  I’m Tara, do you remember me?  When we first met, I was in the clinic because I had a head injury, and you helped me get better.”  Angel looked at her cautiously but didn’t say anything.  Denise walked in from another room, startling Angel.  She said in a very soft voice, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.  I’m Denise.  I think we only met in passing once or twice before.  If you don’t remember me, that’s perfectly ok.”  Angel eyes just scanned the living room, then looked at Rosita.  Finally Rosita said, “You’re going to stay here with Tara and Denise.”  There was panic in her eyes, though her face remained passive.  Rosita continued, “There are no men in this house, just these two women.  Me and Carol both live with men, so I thought this would be a nice place for you to stay.  Ok?”

Tara stepped forward.  “Why don’t you come with me Angel?  I can show you around the house and show you your room.  We got it fixed up nice for you.  Clean sheets, and the window gets the sun in morning, and a really big closet….”  her voice trailed off as she walked with Angel.  Rosita and Carol both heaved a sigh, and Denise smiled sympathetically, saying, “Don’t worry, this will work out. I’m sure of it.  Tara told me about what an amazing person she was.  She is welcome here for as long as she wants to stay.”   
“I hope this works,” Rosita said.  Carol replied, “It’s got to.  We don’t have any other way to help her.”

 

Tara opened the door to a room.  “We thought you could stay in this room.  Is it ok?”  To Angel, the room looked like Heaven.  There was a big bed with pillows and a fluffy comforter.  “I hope that mattress is ok,” Tara said.  Angel walked over and gently touched the comforter, then picked up a pillow and wrapped her arms around it.  It smelled so good.  Suddenly, she threw it back on the bed, looking at her hands.  All she’d had was a sponge bath, she didn’t want to get these nice things dirty, but sure enough, there was a smudge of dirt on the pillowcase.  Angel’s eyes filled with tears.  Would she be punished for that?  Surely she would for dirtying up such a pretty thing.  That was wrong to do, and wrong things got you punished.  She ran to Tara and fell to her knees, head bowed, sniffling miserably, awaiting whatever punishment she was sure would come.  Tara was flabbergasted.  What the hell was this?  All because of a smudge of dirt on a pillowcase?  “Hey,” Tara said getting down on her knees as well.  “It’s ok, really.  Things get dirty.  That’s why we have washing machines.  I’ll throw it in, it’ll be good as new in no time!”  Angel continued to keep her head down.  “Hey,” Tara tried again.  She gently put her hand on Angel’s shoulder, and the poor girl flinched.  “Come on, Angel.  Please look at me.  Everything is ok, really.”   
Angel raised her head, and Tara’s heart broke.  She had never seen anyone look so scared.  “Angel, you really are safe here.  No one’s gonna hurt you.  We’re your friends.  Don’t you remember?”

The battered girl wiped her nose with the back of her hand, and looked at herself.  So dirty.  Tara figured it out pretty quick and said, “Would you like to take a nice, hot shower?  Get cleaned up a bit?”  Tara showed Angel where the bathroom was, getting her some towels. She was showing her how the shower worked when she noticed the look on Angel’s face.  Her mind was off somewhere else…

 

_ ***Carol  showed her where the bathroom was, and smiled at Angel’s excitement over having hot running water.  Carol told her, “When we first got here, we all stayed together in the house next door.  I went in to all of the bathrooms and flushed the toilets, just to watch them flush.” _

_ “Yeah, this is all new to me again too.” _ _   
_ _ “How long have you been out there all alone?” _ _   
_ _ “Since the beginning.” _ _   
_ __ “All by yourself?” ***

 

Angel shook her head.  Where did that come from?  Was that one of her dreams?  Tara spoke softly, “Angel?  You ok?”  Angel just looked at her blankly.  Tara stood, promising to leave her some clean clothes outside the bathroom door, and even showed her that the door locked, so she would be safe.  Angel slowly undressed and got in the shower.  

 

The hot water felt absolutely heavenly, as did the little luxuries of soap and shampoo.  Not to mention the ability to bathe in private.  They had been mostly bathing in creeks and the like when they traveled, and Angel couldn’t be allowed to bathe alone.  She might try to run away, like she did the one time Emma was charged with watching her.  Angel had smashed her on the side of a head with a rock.  Unfortunately, she was already kind of weak at the time, and didn’t knock her out.  The Wolves heard Emma screaming, caught Angel, and punished her severely.  Emma got in trouble as well, for not paying attention, but what they did to Angel…

 

She shook her head.   _ ‘No thinking,’   _ she reminded herself.  If she didn’t think, she wouldn’t remember.  Angel had gotten very good at dealing with only what was in front of her at the moment.  And that was washing her hair and body, period.

Drying off, she peeked out the door.  As promised, Tara had left clothes outside the bathroom door.  She could hear the two women talking in the kitchen below, but couldn’t quite make out what they were saying.  Dressing quickly, she made her way downstairs to the kitchen.  Denise was stirring something on the stove that smelled wonderful.  Tara saw her come in and said, “Sometimes getting clean can make you feel like a new woman.  Dinner will be ready soon, are you hungry?”   
  


_ ***Ya hungry, girlie?’  he laughed as he held the big chunk of cooked deer meat just out of her reach.  Angel strained to reach it, pulling against the cable that attached her to the tree.  They hadn’t fed her for two days, and she was desperate.  The man took a big bite out of it.  ‘Mmm mmm!  Sure tastes good, girlie!  Sure ya don’t want even a little bite?’  Angel reached as far as she could.  He dropped it on the ground, then kicked it across the forest floor away from her, and everyone laughed.*** _

 

“Angel?” Tara approached her slowly.  “Are you ok?”  Angel jumped away from Tara’s touch on her arm, and Tara stepped back, looking over at Denise.  Denise said, “Tara, why don’t you set the table?  It’s ready.”

After dinner, they sat in the living room talking.  Well, Tara and Denise talked, Angel sat.  They didn’t know if she was listening or not.  They talked about town gossip, stuff about the kids, anything to keep it light.    
“Angel, would you be willing to spend a little time alone with me every day?”  Denise asked.  She  had been working with people, including a few in Rick’s group, in mild therapy for PTSD, and was hopeful that maybe Angel would start talking.

Angel just looked at her blankly.  Denise decided to stare back, and Angel quickly averted her eyes.   _ ‘She’s still afraid,’   _ Denise thought.

After a while downstairs, Angel was terribly sleepy, but she couldn’t sleep.  Not until someone told her too.  Those were the rules, right?  And these women, they seemed nice, but Angel didn’t know what they planned to do to her now that it was dark.  When it was dark, she used to get taken into tents sometimes.  She didn’t want to go, but it was better to not fight, to not get hurt.  Tara noticed her eyelids drooping and told her, “Angel, if you’re tired, it’s ok to go to bed.  You know you room is all ready.”

Angel stood, but hesitated.  Was this a trick?

Tara stood as well.  “Here, I’ll walk you up, ok?”

They walked up the stairs and down the hall into Angel’s bedroom.  Tara had washed the pillowcase and put it back on the bed, Angel noticed.  They weren’t going to punish her for that?  Tara opened a dresser drawer.  “These are your clothes that Rosita brought over, I put them away for you….here’s some pajamas.  Also, I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about the whole being in a strange house at night, so I got you this.”  She held up a little night light with a cartoon character on it.  “I thought that way, you could at least see everything no matter how late it was.  And there’s a lock on your door and you are more than welcome to lock it.  Also, the bathroom in the hallway?  That’s kind of yours, we have our own in our room.”  Angel picked up the little night light and looked at it, then went over to the outlet near the door and plugged it in.  Tara was leaning back against the dresser on her hands.  Angel went over to where she was and very gently, touched one of Tara’s hands.   _ ‘Nice lady,’ _  she thought to herself quietly.  Tara smiled at her, and Angel gave a small abrupt nod. 

 

The next morning, Tara came out of the house just as Rosita went walking by.  “How did it go last night with Angel?”  Rosita asked.

“Good and bad.”   
“Care to elaborate?”   
“Let’s go to the clinic.  I don’t want her to hear us talking about her.”

Once in the privacy of the clinic, Tara told her about Angel’s freakout over the smudge of dirt on the pillowcase.  “Ro, she ran over to me and got on her damn knees.  What the hell is that about?  It just about killed me.  I don’t even want to know what she went through for that to be her knee jerk reaction.”   
“Oh damn.”   
“And dinner…..she sat with us, but wouldn’t put any of the stew in her bowl.  She just looked at us.  Finally I filled a bowl for her.  She was starving, I could tell.  I mean look at how skinny she’s gotten!  But she kept looking at us, like she thought it was a trick.  She finally started to eat, and Denise made the mistake of reaching for the pepper, which was right near her….”   
“Oh no.”   
“Yeah.  She kinda flipped out a little.  She grabbed her bowl and spoon and jumped out of her seat.  Ran to the other side of the room.  I’ll say this: she’s quick.  But it’s like she thought we were gonna take her food away.  It took a lot of convincing to get her back to the table.  It was heartbreaking.”   
“Yeah,” Rosita said, “I’m pretty sure she was beaten and raped, and they probably tormented her.  They obviously didn’t feed her well.  Even when Daryl and Aaron first brought her here, she had more meat on her than she does now.  And she was so tiny to begin with.  I’m hoping that now she’s here, she’ll gain weight.  I wish she would talk.  We need to know who did this.  How many were there?  Will they try to come after her?  And Daryl...poor Daryl.  He loves her so much and wants nothing more than to be with her.  But she can’t handle a man being under the same roof.”   
“I can’t believe she can’t remember him.  After all they went through together.”   
“I know.”   
“But...well, she touched my hand.  Of her own accord.  I gave her a nightlight and she came over and touched my hand.  Maybe that’s a start.”   
“Oh wow.  I hope so.”

  
  


Denise sat in the kitchen with Angel, instead of her office.  Her office chair was uncomfortable.  Abraham and a few other men were going back to the cabins Daryl had found and promised to try and find her a new chair.  Denise looked at the scared, skinny woman across the table from her.  “Angel, I want you to know that I’m here to help you.  I’m hoping you’ll talk to me, and I want you to know that anything you tell me will stay with me.  Nobody else will hear it, not even Tara.  Just you and me, ok?”   
As always Angel sat with that same blank look on her face.  Denise noticed that she kept looking at the refrigerator.  “Are you still hungry?”  No reaction.  “Thirsty?”  Angel looked up when she said that.  “Would you like some orange juice, Angel?”  Angel looked over at the refrigerator, then back at Denise.  “It’s okay.  You can have anything you want out of there at any time.  You don’t have to wait, and you don’t have to ask.”  Angel just looked down at her hands in her lap.  Denise walked over to get her some juice.  Suddenly the door burst open, and a loud male voice cheerily boomed, “Furniture delivery!”  Denise watched as Angel went into a full blown panic.

 

The men had come back with a truckload of stuff, including a nice executive desk chair for Denise.  Abraham had no idea that Angel was staying there, so he just walked in.  All Angel heard was a loud male voice, and that was not a sound that she liked.  Unfortunately, Abraham was blocking the doorway.  She ran back towards the corner by the dishwasher, grabbing a large butcher knife out of the knife block before crouching down as small as she could in the corner.  Angel held the knife out in front of her, ready to use it.

“Oh crap!”  Abraham exclaimed.  “I didn’t know she was even here!  I’m so sorry!”  Poor Angel was in the corner whimpering, and not making eye contact with him.  Abraham stayed where he was across the room in the doorway and squatted down, saying softly, “Tiny, don’t you remember me?  I’m Abraham.  We were good friends.  I live with Rosita.  Don’t you remember me at all?”  The hurt was evident in his voice.  He had always liked Angel, and felt very protective of her.  She just cowered into her corner.  Denise started, “Abraham, I appreciate the chair, but…”   
“It’s okay.  I can see that I need to go.”  Turning back to Angel as he backed out of the room, he told her in the same quiet voice, “I’m sorry I scared you, Tiny.  I’ll be more careful next time,” and he was gone.

Angel stayed in the corner, trying to make herself even smaller.  Denise picked up her glass of juice.  She was afraid to get too close, as Angel still had that butcher knife held tightly in her skinny little hand.  “Hey, wanna trade?  Juice for the knife?”  Angel placed the knife on the ground and pushed it gently toward Denise, but didn’t stand.  Instead she wrapped her thin little arms around her thin little legs and just stared out to space.  Denise put the knife away and held the juice out to her.  At first she ignored it, but then, tentatively, she took it and sipped at it.  Sighing, she sat next to Angel on the floor in silence.  This was going to be a long, hard road.

 

Daryl was finally able to get a shower that morning, after having fallen asleep on the bathroom floor the day before.  He stood under the hot spray, and thought about Angel.  It was bad enough when she was gone and he was looking for her, but now, she was HERE…..only a few houses away.  And he couldn’t see her.  She was afraid of him.  He knew he’d done nothing wrong, and she couldn’t help it either, but this actually seemed even worse.   _ ‘No,’   _ he told himself, shaking his head.   _ ‘At least now she’s home, she’s safe, and she can get better.’   _ He missed her so damn much.  Her little smile.  The way she laughed.  The sound of her voice when she would tell him “I love you”.  Would he ever hear that again?  He had slept horribly while she was gone, which only added to his crankiness.  He slept better when she was cuddled up against him.  Angel was the love of his life.  There would never be anyone else for him.  Period.  Daryl felt like he lived just for her.  He missed her so damn much.  Feeling disgusted with himself, he reached down and started stroking his cock, replaying some of their times together in his head.  His centerfold come to life.  His sex goddess.  HIS Angel.  Finally he spurted his release against the tiles in the shower and watched it go down the drain, ashamed.  After all she’d been through, here he was, beating off to memories of her.

 

Angel finally recovered enough to get out of the corner and go up to her room.  Denise heard the lock click into place.  They were going to have to let it be known that Angel was staying there for the time being - people couldn’t just barge in anymore.  She was going to have to figure out how to deal with clients, as well.  Her office was in the house, and some of her clients were, of course, men.  Maybe she could set up shop somewhere else.  But then that would mean Angel would be home alone.  Tara couldn’t watch her ALL the time.  They were going to have to get her eventually used to the men in Alexandria, whether or not she ever decided to talk again. 

 

Daryl got dressed and sat on the bed.  He looked at her wedding dress hanging on the hook in the closet.  He couldn’t stand to look at it anymore.  He took it down and hung it in the closet in what had been his room and closed the door.  Walking back to the room he had shared with Angel, he saw her bow and arrows sitting in the corner where she had left them.  Picking them up, he noticed how dirty and dusty they had become, and felt rotten for letting them get that way.  He spent over an hour sitting on the bed meticulously cleaning them, making sure there wasn’t a speck of dust on them.  Pulling the bow gently, it was sticking, so he applied a bit of oil to the wheels until the string pulled easily.  She had an arm and finger guard, though she rarely used them, but he cleaned those as well.  He double checked her bolts for cracks or bends.  Then picked everything up and headed over to Tara’s place.

 

Angel was looking out her window on the second floor.  So many people just walking around, like the world wasn’t coming to an end.  She saw a woman walking a dog, and felt a smile tug at her lips.  But there were many men, and that frightened her.  But the woman didn’t seem afraid.  They would smile, wave, and stop to talk to the men.  And the men didn’t hurt the women.  Maybe here it was different?  It was so confusing, everything was deja vu.  It made her head hurt.  Off to the side down on the street, she saw a dark figure.  That was the guy she threw stuff at in the clinic until he went away.  The one they called Daryl.  Although deep down, she knew he was someone important, someone important to HER, she was still afraid.  He was carrying a bow and arrows, and a thought came to her, unbidden.   _ ‘Those are mine.’   _ Angel was taken aback by this thought for several reasons.  It wasn’t one she had consciously formulated.  It was complete, not a fragmented fracture of a sentence.  And she knew, without a doubt, that it was true.  That bow and those arrows belonged to her.

She continued to watch his progress down the street towards the direction of the house.  He looked so sad.  Why?   _ ‘He misses you.’   _ Another thought. She didn’t like these random thoughts, they scared her.  Maybe she was finally going crazy.  He stopped to talk to another man briefly, the man she had raised her machete to, Rick.  Rick was carrying a little baby with him.  A little girl, she was wearing a dress.  The baby girl reached for Daryl, and he put the equipment down to hold her in his arms.  She rested her little cheek on his shoulder contentedly and he gently rocked her back and forth.  Angel’s heart melted at the sight.  The little girl was not afraid of him.  And he obviously cared deeply for her.  He handed the baby back to Rick, picked up the equipment and continued toward the house.  His eyes flicked up to the window.  He saw her and stopped in his tracks.  Angel tried to duck behind the curtain, but knew he saw her.

 

Daryl was headed to Tara and Denise’s house with Angel’s equipment.  Maybe it would help her remember.  He ran into Rick who was out walking around with Judith.  “Hey brother, “Rick said, “going on a hunt?”   
“Naw.  This is Angel’s stuff.  Thought maybe it would help her remember.”  Judith reached for Daryl.  Smiling, he put Angel’s things down and picked up the baby, holding her close.  In those three months Angel had been gone, Judith was the only one who could make him smile, and sometimes even she couldn’t.  He rocked her in his arms and told Rick, “This is killin’ me.  Knowin’ she’s right over there and knowin’ she’s scared of me….”

“I know, but the best we can do for her right now is to leave her alone and let Denise work with her.  She’s helped Carl, Enid, Sasha….let her help Angel.  At least now you know where she is and that she’s safe.”   
“Yeah, I know…”  he handed the baby back to Rick, picked up Angel’s stuff and started walking again.  Seeing movement in an upper window, he looked up and saw Angel.  She was watching him, and it stopped him dead in his tracks.  Should he wave?  Smile?  Ignore her?  Turned out it didn’t matter, she ducked out of sight.  Taking a deep breath, Daryl walked up to the house and knocked on the door.

 

Denise answered the knock to see Daryl standing there.  “Daryl?  You know you can’t see her yet.”   
“Yeah, but this is somethin’ of hers.  Maybe it’ll help her remember somethin’?  She was a real good hunter since she was a kid.  Maybe it’ll help.”   
“Ok.  I’ll give it to her.  That’s good thinking.”   
“Is...is she gonna be ok?  I know she just got back and all, but….she’ll be ok, right?”

Denise looked at him.  It was obvious he loved her, and obvious that being apart from her was doing a number on him.  “I saw her in the window, lookin’ down.  I miss her a lot…”   
“Daryl, I am going to do everything I can to bring her back, but it’s not an exact science.  Everyone is different.  And it takes time.  We all want her back, but until she starts talking, I’m not sure where this will go.  And she may never talk.”

Daryl nodded, head down.  He knew he couldn’t rush it.  “Ya let me know if she has any progress, right?”   
Denise smiled at him.  “Absolutely.”   
  
Daryl walked back to his house, but stopped and looked back at her window.  She was standing partly behind the curtain, but still watching him, not hiding.  He raised his hand in a small wave, and she hid again.  Daryl dropped his head down, defeated, and went back home.


	50. Chapter 50

_ A FEW DAYS EARLIER, 30 MILES AWAY…… _

 

“Dammit woman, pick up the pace!  Shoulda left ya at the camp!” Jacob yelled at Emma.  That little doctor lady was always bruised and bloody, always made to carry their crap, and she kept up better than Emma.  Whining, Emma asked, “When are we goin’ back to Alexandria?  You said we’d take it from them and make them work for us.”   
“When we get around to it, stupid!  Now shut up already!  Yer damn voice gives me a headache!”

As they drew near, they both grew uneasy.  The camp was suspiciously quiet.  They walked in and it was like a scene from a horror movie.  The other five men were in bits and pieces scattered around the camp….undead bits and pieces.  It was horrifying.  “How the hell did this happen?” Jacob wondered aloud, just as Emma said, “Where’s Angel?”  Jacob walked over to the tents.  They were empty except for the body of the man Angel had killed with his own knife.  Jacob rolled the body over and saw that the man had kept his knife holster on his belt.  “GOD DAMMIT!” he exploded.  “I told those idiots to leave all weapons outside the tent when they were with that girl!”  He was furious.  Emma smugly chimed in, “Told ya we shoulda killed her.”  Jacob backhanded her for that comment, knocked her down. “You need to shut up, you worthless piece of ass.  She was prettier than you, smarter than you, and she learned her place.  You never did.  The man I killed when I saved your life?  Pretty sure he wasn’t someone ya just met.  Pretty sure ya fucked your way into surviving one way or another.  And yer startin’ to wear on my nerves.  Wanna stay alive?  The shut yer trap.  Start packing shit up,” Jacob spat at her as he put his hand on his knife.  “And if I hear even one complaint outta ya, I’ll gut ya.”  Emma scrambled to pack up their gear while Jacob went and stabbed the corpses in the head.

  
  
  


Poor Daryl felt like he was in a living nightmare.  His biggest fear had always been losing Angel, and that’s exactly what happened.  In every scenario he’d imagined, she was always happy to see him.  She always still loved him.  She always still wanted to be with him.  

Now, she was here, a few hundred yards away, if that far.  He wasn’t able to see her.  And she was scared to death of him.  His heart was in a million pieces just from seeing her in that window.  He went back home and grabbed his crossbow.  He needed to go hunting, he needed to get out of there.

 

Angel jumped at the soft knock on her door.  Denise’s voice called from the other side, “Angel?  I have something for you.  Daryl brought it.”  Crossing the room and opening the door, she looked at the bow and arrows.  Holding them out to her, Denise said, “Daryl said these were yours.  Do you remember them?  Do you remember Daryl?”  As always, she had a blank expression, but Denise thought she saw a flicker of recognition in her eyes.  “Do you remember?”  Angel took the bow and arrows and closed the door.  Sitting on the bed, she looked at both.   _ ‘These are mine.’   _ She was sure of that.  These things belonged to her.  She loaded an arrow and held it up, but didn’t pull the bow. 

_ ‘Like a gun, don’t cock it unless you plan to pull the trigger.’   _ Another full thought.  She didn’t like them.  They niggled at parts of her brain that she’d locked away to survive, and she wasn’t sure if opening them again were a good idea.  After all, she’d locked them away for a reason.  Memories made her sad, so she put them away.  Why did they make her sad?  She refused to try and think about it.

 

Daryl was heading out the gates when Rick stopped him.  “Well, that’s your bow for sure, so hunting after all.”  Daryl just nodded.  Rick spoke again.  “Daryl, she’ll be ok.  It just takes time is all.  You’ll see.”   
“S’more than that.”   
“What?”   
“Dammit Rick!  I swore I’d protect her.  Keep her safe.  I ain’t never done nothin’ right in my life!  I let them monsters take her!”   
“Whoa right there.  You didn’t let them take her.  We all made mistakes that day, and you know it.  You’re not the one at fault here.  Enid and Carl still feel horrible about it…”   
“Ain’t their fault.  They’s just bein’ kids.”   
“They think it’s their fault.  Why do you think they see Denise?”   
“I promised myself, Rick.  After we had to hunt her down in the woods that one time.  I swore to myself that I’d never let anythin’ like this happen to her.  She got taken.  Right under my nose, they took her.  They took her and they broke her.  M’gonna love her forever, for the rest of my life.  And she’s gonna be ‘fraid of me for the rest of hers.”  He walked away before Rick could say anything else, heading out the gate as Spencer closed it behind him.

He walked out into the woods, not in any particular direction.  Finally, he just collapsed to the ground in a heap of tears.  Looking up to the sky, he spoke to a god he didn’t really believe in.  “Look, if ya up there, I ain’t never asked fer much.  And I know as a Dixon, I ain’t entitled to much, neither.  But please, please….help Angel.  Help her remember me.  Help her not be afraid.  I done lost my ma and my brother.  Lost my pa too, but he ain’t worth mournin’.  I can’t lose Angel, too.  I just can’t.  She’s my world.  She’s everythin’ ta me...”  He was crying and didn’t care if anybody saw him.  After a good cry, it was starting to get dark, so he headed back to the gates, empty handed.  He looked up the street at her window, and saw her pulling the shades for the night.  He slept alone in his bed, THEIR bed, as he had every night since she disappeared.  He would clutch one of her pillows tightly, as a poor substitute for her warm, beautiful body.  Sometimes, he would still be able to catch the smallest bit of her scent... and it killed him every time.

 

Angel went downstairs for dinner when Tara called up to her, but it was a repeat of the night before.  She still refused to put any food on her plate herself, instead watching Tara and Denise serve themselves, then looking down at her lap.  Tara reached for her plate to serve her, but Denise stopped her.  “Don’t.  She needs to do this herself.”   
“If we wait, she may starve.”   
“Let’s just see.”   
Angel continued to sit, looking at her hands in her lap.  Finally, when they were almost done, Denise told Tara, “Go ahead and feed her.  She really won’t.”   
Tara served Angel , and like the night before, she had to be encouraged that it was ok to eat before she finally started to do so.  When she was done, she took her dishes to the sink, rinsed them out, and put them in the dishwasher.  She tried to do the same for them, but Tara told her, “Actually, it’s my week to do them, why don’t you go relax?”  After Angel wandered into the living room, she told Denise, “I think I know a way we can get her unafraid of men.”   
“How?”

“We start small.”   
Denise gave her a questioning look, so Tara continued.  “Everybody in town knows what’s going on already.  News travels fast.  Well, I ran into Jessie today.  What if we introduce Angel to Sam?  He’s only 10.  He’s not a man per se.”   
“But what if she hurts him?  She pulled a knife on Abraham.”   
“Yes, but she didn’t attack him.  She ran away.  Jessie knows the risks, and she’ll be here.  You know how much Angel loved the kids.  I don’t think she’ll hurt him.  If she’s ok with him, maybe we can move on to someone like Carl, and then someone like Spencer, and so on.  Isn’t it worth a shot?  Jessie always liked her, and she’s so sad to see her like this.  And she said Daryl isn’t dealing well, either.”   
Denise thought about it.  It WAS worth a shot.  If nothing else, maybe she could watch the kids play in the field and at least get out of the house.  She couldn’t hide forever.  “Ok, let’s give it a shot.  Can you run over to Jessie’s place and see if we can do it tomorrow?”  Tara gave her a big kiss.  “I’ll go right now.”

 

Daryl was up in the bedroom getting ready for bed early.  He just didn’t know what to with himself anymore.  Aaron had asked if he wanted to go out scouting, but he refused,  instead deciding to help Abraham shore up some of the weaker spots on the fences.  He wanted to stay close, just in case anything happened.  He wanted to be able to protect Angel.  From anything and anybody.  He saw Tara run over to Rick’s house and talk to Jessie who was on the porch reading.  Jessie got excited and was nodding and smiling.  Then Tara ran back to her place.  Jessie looked up and saw Daryl watching from the window.  She walked over and knocked on his door.

He opened the door a minute later.  “Hey Jessie.  I wasn’t snoopin’ or nothin’..”   
“No, I know.  But I thought I would tell you what's going on.  They want me to bring Sam over to see Angel tomorrow.”   
“What?  Why?” he hated that he was unable to keep the twinge of jealousy out of his voice.   
“Because he’s a male, but he’s a child.  They want her to start getting used to men.  I thought that maybe a kid would be good to start with, and they like the idea.  You know how good Angel always was with the kids.”   
Hell yeah she was.  Let them pick out their own band aids, keeping homemade juice pops in the clinic, and always there to dry a tear over a hurt knee or give a hug over a hurt feeling.   
“Ya think it’ll work?”   
“I don’t know.  But it’s worth a shot, don’t you think?”   
Daryl nodded, and before she left, Jessie promised to give him an update after the appointment.  He dragged himself back up to bed.  He laid there for a long time, chewing on his lips, and before long, they were chapped.  Leaning over into Angel’s nightstand, he went to open the drawer to search for her tube of lip balm, she always had some.  He pulled too hard and the drawer came right out, spilling it’s contents everywhere.  “God dammit,” he said, exasperated.  Daryl climbed out of the bed and started putting stuff back in the drawer.  He saw a few scraps of paper and picked them up.  That was his writing.  These were notes he’d written to her.   Every single little note he’d written, from the time he apologized for pushing her and called her his everything, to the note he left letting her know he’d run over to Rick’s and drawn a kitty, to the one where he said he was hunting a rabbit for Jessie and drew a little rabbit.  The day he found her ring and proposed.  Why did she keep them?  He couldn’t believe they were ever important to her.  He put everything back in the drawer,and sat on the floor, fingering her wedding ring on the cord around his neck.  He closed his eyes, and just thought with everything in him,  _ ‘I love ya, babygirl. Please know that.  Love ya forever.’ _

 

Angel went up to bed later.  She was laying there, thinking about that Daryl guy, and a few hundred yards away, he was thinking of her.  He had been important to her, she knew it, but didn’t know why.  She wasn’t sure she wanted to.  Memories hurt.  And they made the men angry.  She dozed off and dreamed nonsense.  Blue eyes, sparkles, and a husky voice saying ‘ _ I love ya, babygirl.’ _  She shot awake at that, sure that the voice had been right in her ear, but her night light proved nobody but her was in the room.

 

The next morning after breakfast Denise and Tara sat her down.  During the day it was never both of them, so she was sure something was wrong.  Had she done something bad?  Were they going to send her away?  

They both smiled at her, and Denise said, “We just wanted you to meet someone today.  Do you remember Jessie?  She lives with Rick.  She has a young son named Sam.  He’s 10.  Do you think it would be ok to meet him?”  Tara added, “He’s just a little boy.  He can’t hurt you.”

 

They didn’t really expect Angel to answer, and she didn’t, but she jumped as someone knocked on the door.  Tara got up to answer it and came back with Jessie.  Sam peeked out from behind her and Angel stood up, somewhat startled, then sat back down.  Jessie walked over leaving Sam with Tara momentarily.  “Do you remember my son, Sam?  He’s only 10, just a little boy.  He remembers you.  He said that a few times you guys played a card game called War.  Do you remember?”

Angel looked past Jessie at Sam.  He was holding a deck of cards in his hand.  He gave her a smile, and said, “Hi, Doctor Angel.  Mom said that you came home.  We sure missed you.” Angel was confused.  Home?  This was home, for real?  She clenched her fists in her lap, then opened them.  Her nails had left small indentations in her palm.  The boy spoke again.  “Do you want to play cards?  If you don’t, that’s ok, we can play another time.”

Jessie looked at her and asked softly, “Can he come closer?  He’s a boy, but he can’t hurt you.”  Angel looked at Jessie and gave the tiniest nod.  Denise wanted to turn a cartwheel.  She had responded.

Sam approached her slowly, and Jessie had him sit on her lap.  Angel seemed a little confused by the game, so Sam explained it.  “We both put down a card, and whoever has the higher card takes both cards.  Whoever ends up with the deck wins.  An ace is counted as 1, a Jack is 11, a Queen is 12, and a King is the highest card, 13.”  Angel played very slowly, waiting for Sam to tell her if she won or lost until she got the hang of it.  Jessie had Sam sit at the table instead of on her lap, then she slowly moved over to the kitchen island where Tara and Denise were.  They played for about an hour, then Jessie had to get Sam home for lunch.  Slowly, Angel reached over and touched his hand, and gave him the tiniest smile.  That was amazing.  Jessie, Tara, and Denise all exchanged a look.  It seemed to be working so far.  Sam looked up where she was touching his hand and smiled at her.  “We sure missed you.”

 

Two days later, they brought in Carl.  That didn’t go as well.  Carl was already such a young man.  She was ok, as long as he stayed on the other side of the room and didn’t block the doorway.  He spoke to her the entire time he was there in that gentle voice of his.  “Do you remember me?  What about my baby sister, Judith, do you remember her?  If you like I could bring her by to visit you...” Unlike Sam, he got no response.  It would take time.

 

Daryl was kept in the loop about all of it.  He was so hopeful with the way she was with Sam, and then heartbroken with what happened with Carl.  If he thought it would help, he’d march over there and shake her until she remembered him.  Until she remembered everything.

 

Daryl dragged himself up to bed.  He hated it, and would put it off until he was so tired, he was sure he’d fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.  He’d always loved climbing into bed with Angel at the end of the day, now he loathed sleeping in that bed alone.  As planned, he was out as soon as his head hit the pillow.

He woke sometime in the middle of the night to a noise.  The shower was going.  Daryl thought to himself,  _ ‘Who the fuck is in my house?’   _ Grabbing his knife, he crept down the hall and slowly pushed open the bathroom door and peeked in.  He saw a sight he thought he might never see again.

Angel.  Angel was in his shower.

She turned around and faced him and gave him a big smile.  “Hey you.  I let myself in.  Is that ok?  I just wanted to come home.”   
Daryl rubbed his eyes, but she was still there.  “Babygirl, I missed ya so much.  So damn much.”  He shucked his underwear and climbed in the shower with her.  She was still his beautiful, perfect Angel.  He ran his hands over her wet body.  She felt just the way he remembered.  He leaned in to kiss her, and she tasted as sweet as always.  “I love ya so much, Angel,” he told her as he held her and wept.  She gave him a sweet smile, then reached for his cock and started stroking it.  “Baby, ya don’t gotta..”   
“Shh…”   
Angel was kissing all those wonderful spots on his neck that only she seemed to find, and he could already feel his release building.

“Babygirl - “   
“Shh, cum for me Daryl.”

It was all too much and he came screaming her name,  “ANGEL!  OH GOD, ANGEL, I LOVE YOU!  SO FUCKIN’ MUCH!”

 

His own yelling woke him up.     
It was all a dream, and a wet dream at that.  He was so ashamed.

He was alone. 

He buried his face in her pillow and cried.


	51. Chapter 51

It took a week but Angel was finally ok with the younger guys: Sam, Carl, Ron.  She got somewhat better with the other older men.  She didn’t like to be in the same room with them, still, but she could tolerate if they were in the house.  Some days, she would actually venture outside - to the porch or across from the house to watch the kids play in the field.  The men knew not to approach her, and they went out of their way to give her a wide berth.

 

Daryl would sometimes watch her from the bedroom window, taking care that she wouldn’t see him.  He didn’t want to frighten her. It seemed as if she was slowly putting some weight back on, and he was glad.  When she came back, she was so horribly thin.  Angel had actually started to fill her own plate when she ate with Denise and Tara.  But she still wasn’t talking, and nobody knew why.  Every day she would meet with Denise, and would sit silently while Denise asked her questions, trying to get her to talk.  She’d even tried sliding a pad of paper and a pen across the table to Angel to see if she would respond that way.  Angel had just looked at them and then back at Denise.  Denise begged her, “Can you at least write your name for me?”  But Angel didn’t move.

 

So Daryl watched her watching the children play soccer or kickball or whatever they were playing that day.  Sometimes she would actually smile, and that’s when he saw his Angel shining through, when he wanted to go down and gather her in his arms, but she was still afraid.  

Afraid of the men.

Afraid of him.

 

Rick had actually asked him, as gently as possible, if it was possible for him to maybe get over her.  He reasoned that there were other women in Alexandria, and he had a good reputation as a protector and provider, he would have no trouble finding someone else.  Daryl had angrily told him, “She’s the only one I ever wanted.  I knew I’d love her til the day I die.  There ain’t no one else.  It’s her or no one.”

 

Angel liked to watch the little girl named Isabella.  Again, there was something familiar about her.  But on this particular day, Isabella wasn’t around.  Angel just assumed she was at home for whatever reason, and she watched the children playing soccer.  She saw Isabella’s mom, Dana, go rushing by towards the gates and got a sick feeling in her stomach.  She always had really good intuition, and she felt that something was wrong.  Standing up, she walked a short ways away from the field.  She saw Dana speaking animatedly to Spencer and then Abraham came up.  Daryl joined them, then suddenly, Abraham and Daryl took off out of the fences.  Dana started screaming.  The men ran back in carrying something, and ran past her to the clinic, with Dana hot on their heels.

They were carrying Isabella.

She was torn up.

 

Angel had one of her random, unbidden thoughts, and she knew it was true:

_ ‘I can help her.  She needs me.’ _

As afraid as she was of the men, she ran as fast as she could to the clinic and burst through the doors.  Rosita was in a panic.

Abraham told her, “She taught you how to take care of people!”  And Rosita answered, “Not something like this!  Don’t you remember the other little girl this happened to?”

When Angel walked in, everyone went quiet and froze.  She walked over to Isabella on the gurney, and looked at her.  Rosita said, “She snuck out of the back gate.  A bobcat got her.”  Angel checked the little girl's pulse, it was strong but rapid.  Looking at Rosita, she said the first words out of her mouth in months:

“She needs blood.”

Angel was not thinking at all, was just running on autopilot.

Rosita said, “Her mom donated!  We started to bank a bit of blood…” and ran to the refrigerator.

Angel hastily hooked her up to an IV on one arm and the blood bag on the other.  The little girl began to stir and cry, and Angel quickly gave her a shot into her IV, knocking her out.  She put an oxygen mask on her, but it kept slipping off her tiny face.  She grabbed Abraham, who was trying to stay out of the way, and put his hand on the oxygen mask to hold it in place, nodding at him.  He said, “Yeah, got it.”

Rosita set about quickly taping her wounds together to stop the blood loss until Angel could stitch them up.  The girl had long jagged claw marks all over her body.  The fact that she was still alive was a miracle.  She attached the heart monitor to the little girl’s finger and set about slowly and painstakingly cleaning and stitching her wounds, inch by inch.

 

After the first 8 hours, Abraham switched out with Daryl, and Rosita with Carol.  Angel didn’t even seem to acknowledge the switch.  Daryl watched her work slowly and methodically on the little girl.  Rosita told him she had spoken, saying the girl needed blood and nothing else, but damn, it was a start.     
  
As she was cleaning a cut, Angel paused and grabbed a set of forceps, pulling something out that was imbedded in the muscle of the Isabella’s leg.  She held it up and both Daryl and Carol could see: the damn bobcat had actually broken off a claw in the girl.  Dropping it into a metal dish, she continued on with her task.  It was heartbreaking to see.  The poor little girl had stitches criss-crossing her body, like some kind of Frankenstein child.  Angel was doing hundreds of tiny stitches, trying to minimize scarring, but there was no way around it.  Daryl made it his mission to be sure that not only would Isabella NEVER be made fun of on his watch, she would also be sure to know just how much of a little badass she was.  This kid survived a damn bobcat!  Grown men had died from those things.  Little Isabella, the badass.

 

It was minutes away from being the 16th straight hour of operation when Angel was finally done.  Carol had removed the blood bag long ago, and set up another IV.  Angel gave her a shot of something in her IV, and the little girl began to stir and cry, “Mommy!”  Carol said, “She’ll need antibiotics, I’ll take care of them.  I’ll get her mom, too.”  Angel just nodded and stumbled over to the wall.  She slid down it, completely exhausted, and flopped over, asleep.  Daryl waited until Dana came in with Carol, then went over to the supply closet.  There was an old army cot in there.  He brought it out, along with some pillows and blankets.  Carol’s heart melted when she watched Daryl carefully lift Angel onto the cot, tuck a pillow under her head, and cover her with the blanket.  Then, he leaned over and gently placed a kiss to her forehead.  He bedded down as well, on the other side of the room on the floor, with the other pillow and blanket, where he could watch over her if she needed anything, but not so close where he would frighten her.

 

Angel ended up sleeping for 10 hours.

 

Daryl woke up hours before her, but refused to leave until she woke.  He just sat and watched her sleep from across the room.  He watched her roll over onto her tummy, and kick the blankets off, just like she had always done with him and he smiled.  People came in and out to see little Isabella, and tried to stay quiet so as to not disturb the exhausted doctor.  

Carol said to him, “I’m going to get Rosita for her shift.  Isabella is sleeping, will you be ok alone with them for a few minutes?” Daryl watched Angel curl into a little tiny ball, shivering, and nodded at Carol.  She walked out, and he walked over to her quietly and gently covered her with the blanket again.  Unable to resist, he gently stroked her face, and in her sleep, she gave a soft sigh and turned her cheek into his hand.  Tears sprang to his eyes, and he whispered softly, “Angel, baby, I still love ya…”

Her eyes shot open.

Daryl froze, his hand still cupping her cheek, still leaning over her.  Angel’s hand shot out and Daryl closed his eyes, expecting her to hit him.  Instead, he felt her jerk the cord from around his neck, snapping it off him.  The cord that held her wedding ring and star charm.  She jumped up off the cot and ran to the farthest corner of the room, looking at them.   _ ‘These are mine,’   _ she thought.  Why did he have them?  Why was he touching her face?  Why had he been so close?  Was he going to hurt her?

“Babygirl, please,” he said to her, hanging his head.  She kept looking to the necklace and then back to him.  Tears were sliding down his face.  Why was he crying?  She was so confused.  She looked at the necklace, and holding it up said, “This is mine.”  Daryl’s head snapped up.  

Angel spoke.

Angel spoke to HIM.

“Angel,” he said softly, “you’re right.  Those are yours.  Do you remember where they’re from?”  He took a step toward her side of the room, and she cowered.  He held up his hand in a gesture of surrender and stopped in his tracks.  Angel was looking at him with her head cocked to the side, like a little puppy.  She got up and slowly and cautiously approached him.  Grabbing his left hand,  she looked at the ring on his finger.  “Why?” she asked him.

“Why what, Angel?” he said softly, afraid she would bolt.

“These are mine,” she held up the necklace.  “Why do you have them?  Why did you have my bow and arrows?  Why do you have that ring?  I know that ring!”  Her head was starting to throb, and she closed her eyes and pressed her hand to her forehead.  “What’s happening here?” she was practically screaming.  Rosita came in and Angel looked at her.  “What’s happening?  Why does he have my things?  I DON’T UNDERSTAND!!!!!”

Rosita took a step toward her and told her gently, “Sweetie, calm down.  You lived with Daryl, that’s why he had your things.  Angel, you loved him very much.  You were going to be married when the Wolves took you.  That’s your wedding ring he got for you.  And the star was from a bracelet he gave you.”   
Angel turned her eyes back to Daryl.  “Didn’t you look for me?  Didn’t you try?”

Daryl couldn’t take any more.  He fell to his knees in front of her, openly crying, he didn’t care who saw him.  “I did, babygirl!  Every damn day I looked!”  He took off the coat he was wearing and showed her the string bracelets on his wrist.  “Ya remember these?  Isabella made ‘em for you.  Ya broke ‘em off and left me a trail.  I found every single one!  Ya dropped your wedding ring, and the bracelet with the star, and I found ‘em.  Angel, I ain’t hardly rested a day since you was gone.  Every single day, I looked for ya.  Sometimes for weeks I’d be gone.  I found trees that you scratched a letter ‘A’ into, and I knew that meant ya been there.  I’d lose the trail, then find it again.  But I never gave up on findin’ ya.  NEVER.”   
“What’s that ring?” Angel said softly, pointing at his hand.  “Why do I know it?”   
“It’s my wedding ring from ya, babygirl.  I proposed and ya said yes, then ya turned around and proposed ta me right back.  I said yes, too.”

Angel was rubbing her forehead with her hand, and Rosita asked her, “You ok, sweetie?”   
“No, my head hurts.  And I don’t understand….”

Rosita headed over to the OTC medicine cabinet.  “Let me get you something for your headache.”   
  


Angel couldn’t take her eyes off Daryl, he was still kneeling on the ground in front of her.  He looked up at her.  Kind eyes, blue like the sky.  She looked at the ring on the necklace.  Sparkles.  She got down on her knees as well.  They looked at each other for a long time.  Rosita didn’t dare interrupt.  Finally Angel said, “I dreamed you.  I dreamed you and thought you weren’t real.”   
“I’m real, sweetheart.  I’m real and I still love ya so damn much.  No matter what happened out there, I don’t care.  I’m always gonna love ya.  Til the day I die.”   
Angel’s head hurt so very bad.  She looked at Daryl, and he saw the most wonderful thing he’d ever seen: dawning recognition in her eyes.  She reached a hand out and touched his face and said, “Daryl?”

Suddenly she let out a heartbreaking wail of pain as she pressed her palms to her temples.  Then her world went black.


	52. Chapter 52

“Angel!  ANGEL!”  Daryl held her in his arms, desperate to revive her.  “C’mon girl, don’t do this ta me!”

Rosita was by his side in a flash.  “Get her on the cot, let me check her out.”  It seemed as if Daryl didn’t even hear her.  He was holding Angel in his arms, rocking her gently and saying quietly, “Please, baby, please…”   
“DARYL!  Put her on the cot now!  I need to make sure she’s ok!”  

Daryl finally seemed to hear her.  He picked up Angel as gently as he could and carried her back to her cot, setting her down gently.  Rosita has just started checking her vitals when a thin trickle of blood ran out of her nose.  Daryl started to panic, and Rosita calmed him.  “Daryl, her blood pressure is through the roof right now.  Sometimes that happens.”  Poor Daryl was beside himself with worry.   
“Ro, what if she wakes up and don’t remember me again?  What if she don’t talk again?  I can’t go through that again.  I can’t lose her all over again…”   
Rosita’s heart broke for the both of them.  “I don’t know, Daryl.  I wish I could tell you she’ll wake up and be fine, but I can’t.”  She stuck Angel with a saline IV as Daryl watched.  “This is just so she doesn’t dehydrate.  She slept for a really long time and now she’s out again.  Hopefully she’ll wake up soon.  I know her head hurt something terrible.  I’m wondering if maybe the memories came back and it was too much.  Her own mind is working against her.”   
“She remembered me,” he smiled softly.  “I could see it in her face.  She remembered me again.”   
“Yeah, she did.  And she touched you, too.”  Rosita smiled back at him.  Daryl put a hand to his face where she’d touched him.  Suddenly, a quiet, tiny voice asked, “Is Doctor Angel ok?”   
Rosita and Daryl turned around and saw little Isabella watching them from her gurney.  They got up and walked over to her.  “Mommy said she doesn’t remember us.  Does she remember us now?”

Rosita told the little girl, “Well, we’re not sure, but we hope so.”   
The little girl looked down at the hundreds of tiny stitches crossing her body and said sadly, “I look like a Frankenstein.  I look ugly.”   
“That ain’t true,” Daryl told her.  “Them stitches’ll come out and you’ll be just fine.  Ya one tough little girl.  I’ve seen grown men with less than you not make it.  Gonna have ta start callin’ ya Badass. Little Badass Bella. How’s that sound?” he smiled at her.

“I don’t think mommy will let me say that!”   
“Well that’ll be my special nickname for ya.”   
The little girl looked down at her stitches again.  “Do you think someone will still marry me when I grow up?  Will someone still think I’m pretty?”   
Daryl paused then spoke softly.  “Can you keep a secret?   
“Uh huh.”   
“Did you know that I’ve got scars?”   
“Really?”   
“Yep.  Big ones on my back.  I don’t like nobody seein’ ‘em.  Thought they was ugly, that they made me ugly.  But Doctor Angel saw them.  And she still fell in love with me.  She told me somethin’ important, and I’mma tell you: scars show that you survived.  It shows that ya were strong and lived through somethin’.  Ya must be the strongest kid I know.  When ya grow up, ya gonna be the prettiest girl this town ever saw, the boys are all gonna fall in love with ya.  Ya gonna be able ta take your pick.  If anyone ever says anything bad to ya, ya come tell me.  I’ll set ‘em straight.  Deal?”   
The little girl had a huge smile.  “Deal.”   
“Why was ya outside the gates, sweetheart?”   
“I saw some flowers and they were pretty.  I thought I could pick some and come back.  I didn’t mean to cause trouble.”   
“Next time ya want flowers, ya let me know and I’ll get ‘em for ya, ok?”

She agreed, then started to fidget in pain.  Rosita gave her an antibiotic shot laced with a bit of painkiller, and her eyes slowly closed as she fell back asleep.

 

Daryl didn’t want to leave the clinic, but Rosita insisted, telling him, “At least go home and have something to eat.  Have a hot shower.  If she wakes up before you come back, I’ll send someone for you.”  He walked home, still very worried about her, but with more hope in his heart than he’d felt since she got back.  Rick saw him and walked up.  “Is Angel up yet?”   
Daryl smiled.  “She remembered me, Rick.  She talked.  She touched my face.  She said my name.  I ain’t never heard nothin’ so good.”   
Rick was ecstatic for his friend.  Daryl told him everything that happened, including Rosita being unsure if she would still remember him or speak again.  “But she remembered me.  I could see it in her face.  Even if she goes back ta the way she was, and I hope she don’t, but if she does….I got that.  Ain’t no one can take that away.”

 

A few hours later, Angel began to stir on her little cot and Rosita rushed over.  She sat up and looked around, confused.  She looked over to the gurney with Isabella fast asleep on it, Rosita next to her, and the IV stuck in her hand.  She quietly said, “Could you take this out?  I REALLY have to use the bathroom.”  Rosita removed the IV, and as Angel used the restroom, poked her head out the door.  The news had travelled fast that Angel had spoken.  Red was walking by, and seeing Rosita asked, “Is it true?  Is Miss Angel talking again?”  Giving him a smile, Rosita said, “A little.  Could you go let Daryl know she’s up?”  Red left to get Daryl.

 

“How’s your head?” Rosita asked when Angel came back in.     
“Better.”   
“Good.  While you were out, I gave you a bit of a painkiller in your IV.”   
“Dammit, Ro.  You know we should save them for people who need them!”   
“YOU needed it!  You collapsed from pain!”

Angel sighed.  She knew Rosita was right.  So much was going on in her head right now.  Rosita told her, “I just sent for Daryl, he should be here any minute now.”   
“What?  NO!  I don’t want him here!”   
Rosita was confused.  “Why not?  Don’t you remember him?  You seemed to before you passed out.”   
“I don’t want him here!”   
“Sweetie, why not?”   
“Because I don’t!  Isn’t that a good enough reason?”

Rosita didn’t know what to say.  Especially because Daryl walked in.

 

Daryl walked in and saw Angel standing there with Rosita.  She turned, and they just stared at each other for a minute.  He took a step toward her, and she took a step back.   _ ‘Oh no, baby,’   _ he thought.   _ ‘Come on.  Ya remembered, don’t do this now…’ _

“Do….do ya remember me?” he asked Angel.  She just nodded.  He said quietly, “Please don’t be afraid of me.  I’d never hurt ya.  Gonna make sure nobody does, ever again.”  Angel just looked at the ground, unsure of what to say.  She did remember him, but there was so much for her to work out.  Everything had come back to her: the good - her life in Alexandria, and the bad - her time with the Wolves.  

Daryl took another step toward her.  He said, “I took off ya bracelets and brought them so ya could wear them again.”  He reached into his pants pocket and pulled them out.  Angel looked at them, then at Isabella sleeping.  Daryl smiled, telling her, “Ya remember that she made these, don’t ya?”  Angel just nodded.  “Here,” Daryl said, moving slowly toward her so as not to spook her.  “I’ll put them back on ya wrist, ok?”  Angel nodded, and Daryl approached her, gently tying each one on.  She saw he was wearing her ring and star around his neck again, he must have picked them up when she lost consciousness.  He noticed and told her, “I’ll find ya another bracelet to put the star on.  Did ya...did ya want to wear your ring again?”  Angel looked at him, his face was so hopeful, but she just wasn’t ready for that.  She shook her head, and his face fell.  

Daryl’s heart broke.  He knew he couldn’t expect everything to be back to normal, but she wasn’t even talking to him.  Hell, she would barely look at him.  Heaving a sigh and running a hand through his shaggy hair, he just muttered, “Fine, whatever,” and left the clinic.

 

Angel just couldn’t deal.  There was too much.  She collapsed on her cot in tears, and Rosita came and sat next to her.  “I just can’t right now, Ro.”   
“You do remember him, right?”   
“Yes.  I remember EVERYTHING.  I remember how much me and Daryl loved each other.  I also remember every goddamn thing those animals did to me.  I want to go home.  I just want to go home.”   
“Ok, let me grab someone to walk you over.”   
“No, not that home.  MY home.  Where I lived before I came here.  I shouldn’t be here.  I don’t want to stay here anymore.  I want to go home.”

 

Rosita was stunned.  Angel wanted to leave Alexandria?  While everyone loved her so much, she knew they couldn’t make her stay.  “Angel, would you give us a day or two before you go?  I know Deanna still wants some information about the Wolves, and people will want to say goodbye.”

“Yeah, sure.”  Angel walked out without another word.

 

Rosita watched her go.  Abraham came by and she told him to go find Denise.  They needed to do something.  She didn’t want her best friend to leave.  And Daryl might never recover if she left.  Angel needed help, whether she knew it or not.

 

Angel walked down to the little pond in the center of town and sat down at the edge of the water.  She took off her shoes and socks and got close enough to put her toes into the water.  Leaving would be best for everyone, she was sure of it.  No matter what Daryl said, once he knew what they had done to her - how they passed her around and how she eventually just stopped fighting them - he wouldn’t want her.  She was tainted by the things they had done to her.  She had new scars that she didn’t want him to see.  Daryl didn’t love her, he loved the memory of her.  He loved who she used to be.

 

Carol came to work an overnight shift in the clinic.  Isabella would need to stay for a while, so someone needed to be there at all times.  Rosita went straight to Daryl’s place.  She knocked on the front door and there was no answer, but she was sure he was there.  She went around to the back door, near the kitchen.  She saw him through the window.  He was sitting at the kitchen island just staring into space.  Knocking on the back door, he didn’t answer.  She knocked again, harder, saying, “Dammit Daryl, I can see you in there!  Open the door!”

Finally he got up  and tore open the door, saying, “Maybe I don’t want company!  Ever think of that?”

“Daryl, we got a problem.”   
“Talk to someone who gives a shit.”   
“It’s about Angel.”   
Daryl hesitated, then said, “She ain’t my problem,” as he turned and walked back to his seat.   
Rosita was floored when he said that.  “How can you say that?”  She came in and closed the door behind her, then continued, “After all she’s been through?  And she still came back here, even though her mind was broken, this was the place she knew was safe!  She came home, Daryl.  Don’t act like you don’t care.”   
“She don’t want me no more.”   
“Daryl, she’s scared.  She remembers everything, including everything those monsters did to her.  She just told me she wants to leave.  She wants to leave Alexandria.”   
That got his attention all right.  He fixed his steely gaze on her as she told him, “She said she doesn’t belong here anymore.  She wants to go back to wherever she lived before.”   
Daryl thought back to the little treehouse where she lived.  All alone.  No.  He could deal with her not loving him.  He couldn’t deal with her being gone, being where he couldn’t protect her.  “I managed to stall her for a couple of days,” she told him.

“Where is she?” he growled out.

“Last I saw, she was over by the pond.”

Without another word, Daryl was out the door.

 

Angel sat quietly at the edge of the water.  It was starting to get dark out, but she didn’t want to go home….that place they called ‘home’.  She needed to get used to being out again.  She would go back to her treehouse.  Hopefully, nobody had found it and her stuff would be there.  Her blankets and washtub.  Her water bottles and her few cans of food she’d left behind.  She could get firewood and set up her snares again.  She could be painfully alone again.   
And what if it wasn’t there anymore?  Or if someone else had taken it?  Where would she go?  The thought of her safe sanctuary being gone struck a bit of fear into her, but she pushed it away.  There were plenty of old hunting stands in the forest, maybe she could use one to build her own treehouse.  Or maybe she could find a house and tear down the interior stairs.  There would be something, somewhere….because she couldn’t stay here.  Not with these nice people, not anymore.

Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned and saw Daryl approaching.  That was the last person Angel wanted to deal with.  Without saying a word, he plopped down next to her.  They sat silently for a few minutes looking at the water in the moonlight, then he softly said, “Ya ain’t leavin’, girl.”

“Daryl, don’t.”

“No, you ‘don’t’.  Ya ain’t leavin’.  I ain’t lettin’ ya outta my sight no more.  Ya don’t love me, and that’s fine.  I can live with that.  I can’t live with ya bein’ out there on ya own.  If ya leave, I’m comin’ with.  Ya can’t stop me.”   
“I don’t belong here anymore.”   
“I never did from the beginnin’.”   
“Daryl, please don’t.”   
“Don’t what?” he exclaimed, finally turning to look at her.  “Don’t love ya anymore?  Don’t protect ya?  Don’t wonder how I’m gonna survive with ya hatin’ me so goddamn much?”

Angel was confused, and it showed on her face.  “Daryl, I don’t hate you.  Why would you even think that?”   
“Ya don’t wanna wear ya ring.  Ya wouldn’t even talk to me earlier, hell, ya wouldn’t look at me!  Angel, I looked for ya every damn day!  I was tryin’ ta find ya babygirl, I really was!  I never stopped until ya came back!  I wasn’t here when ya got back because I was out lookin’!  How can I make ya understand?”  He was pleading with her, now.  He couldn’t let her go.

“Daryl, I’m not mad at you.  I don’t hate you.  But….” she took a deep breath, pushing her hair back.  “Do you know what they did to me?”   
“Yeah, I got a pretty good idea,” he muttered.

“They passed me around,” she said softly, not looking at him.  “They passed me around like I was some kind of toy, and I was to them.  I fought at first.  But when I did, they would hit me, so I stopped.  I would just lay there and take it.  That’s when I started to think my memories weren’t real.  Between the beatings and the rapes and the starvation and everything else...all I could think was that my memories were make believe.  That it was imaginary.  It was a pretend place that my mind made up.  I stopped talking around them, not that they ever listened.  So I just sat there.  I just existed.  I don’t belong here anymore, Daryl.  I don’t belong with you.  You need to be with someone better.”   
Daryl’s jaw was clenched.  He’d had a pretty good idea of what they’d done to her, and he was right.  But hearing her say it made it that much more real.  He huffed a humorless laugh.  “Someone better?  Ya think there’s anyone better than you left in the world?  Ya ain’t the bottom of the barrel, girl, more like top of the heap.  Ain’t nobody better than ya.  Not now, not ever.  Even before the world went ta shit.  Told ya I would love ya for the rest of my life.  That ain’t changin’.”   
Angel took a breath.  “I don’t know if they...gave me anything.  I don’t know if they had any diseases.”   
“So have Rosita do a blood test.  Angel, I ain’t goin’ nowhere.  You neither.  This is ya home.  OUR home.”

Angel started to cry.  “Daryl, I missed you so much.  I dreamed about you every night, about your eyes and your voice.  I wondered if you really existed, and thought that if you did, you would never love me because I was so...dirty.  I could take a hundred baths in bleach, and I’ll never be clean enough!”

Angel stood and Daryl did, too.  He grabbed her by the shoulders.  “Ya listen ta me and ya listen good.  I still love ya.  I still wanna marry ya.  I ain’t never gonna be happy with no one else.  Now if ya don’t want me, that’s fine, I’ll walk away and I won’t bother ya again.  But I can’t let ya leave and go where I can’t protect ya.  Do ya want me ta walk away?  Ya tell me right now, and ya tell me ta my damn face!”

Angel looked at him.  When her memories came blasting back and knocked her out, she knew two things before she‘d lost consciousness.  First thing: she knew, without a doubt, that Daryl Dixon loved her.   
Second thing: she knew, without a doubt, that she loved him, too.   
“No,” she said quietly.  “Don’t go.”


	53. Chapter 53

Daryl was beyond relieved when she told him not to go.  “Does that mean ya gonna stay, too?” he asked her.   
“Yeah, I guess I have to.  Daryl, I remember what we had.  I remember that I loved you, and I think I still do.  But this is going to take time.  I need to work things out.  I need time to get back to me.  To get back to you, too.  I don’t want you to go away.  But I need you to back up a bit, so to  speak.  I think I’ll stay with Denise and Tara for a while.  I’ll need Denise’s help.  I need to get past what happened….” she trailed off.   
Daryl stood looking at her.  “Babygirl, do ya remember...when I pushed ya that one time?”  He hated bringing that up at all.  Not his finest moment, and not one he would ever repeat.  She nodded and he said, “We slept apart for a few days.  I told ya I’d give ya all the space and time ya needed, and I meant it.  Same thing now.  Just….please don’t shut me out.  Don’t be afraid of me.  I’m gonna make damn sure that nothin’ ever happens to ya again.  But...let me stay in ya life.”

Angel looked at Daryl, REALLY looked at him.  Yes, she still loved him.  “How about we spend a little time together every day?  Maybe right here, by the water?”

He never felt so relieved.  “That sounds good.  I can do that,” he replied.

Just then Denise and Tara came charging up with Rosita bringing up the rear.  Tara was almost in tears as she said, “You can’t leave us, Angel!  You just can’t!”

Denise added, “I think that would be a really bad idea.”

Angel looked at them.  “I’m not leaving.  But I need to talk to Deanna.  And I think I need to stay with you guys for a little while,” she said, looking at Tara and Denise.  “I need….I need help.”  Daryl hated hearing her say that.  She sounded so helpless.  Unsure of what to say or do, he patted her shoulder softly, and didn’t say anything.

 

They walked her over to Deanna’s house and Angel knocked on the door.  When she answered, Angel simply said, “I’m ready to talk.”

 

Deanna set up the camera after Angel asked that everyone with her be allowed to stay.     
“Well then,” Deanna began.  “We know that you were taken by the group that call themselves the Wolves.  How many were there?”   
“Six men and one woman.  And the woman was Emma.”   
“Emma?  The Emma that we banished?”  Deanna was shocked, as was everyone else.

“Yes.  The same one.  Don’t know what happened to Brian, but Emma was slutting around with those guys.”  Turning to Daryl, she said, “She told them that you were her boyfriend and I stole you.”  Daryl shook his head and muttered, “Fuckin’ psycho.”   
Angel continued, “Remember the footprints we found?”  Daryl nodded.  “It was them.  They’d been watching us.  Emma told them about our place, and they were trying to figure a way to take over.  Kill the men, keep the women and children and turn them into slaves, basically.  One of the guys was especially ‘fond’ of little children,” she said, shuddering.   
“So there are seven of them out there, planning an attack?” Deanna asked.   
“Not anymore.” Angel smirked.  “I killed five of the men when I left.  Emma and Jacob, that was their leader, went to go scout out some abandoned houses to stay in.”   
“How did you kill them?”   
“With a machete.”   
“That’s not what I mean,” Deanna said.  “How were you able to get away?”   
Angel took a breath.  “One of them took me into the tent to...uh...y’know.  There was a rule that if you went into a tent with me, you had to leave your weapons outside so I couldn’t get to them.  Well, this guy didn’t take off his knife.  I killed him, then went after the others.  They were so shocked, they didn’t have time to react, really.  I grabbed up a machete and just….just…”  She started to cry.  Daryl picked up a box of tissues and carried it over, crouching down in front of her.  “Ya ain’t gotta say no more if ya don’t wanna,” he said gently.   
“No, I need to get it all out now in case I….get ‘sick’ again.  Can I have some water, please?”    
Denise offered to get it for her, and came back with it after a few seconds.  Deanna’s hand hovered over the buttons on the camera as she asked, “Do you need to stop or take a break, dear?”

“No, I’m good.  The reason they didn’t attack was because there were so few of them.  They were trying to find other men to recruit, but we didn’t run into any.  There’s definitely a shortage of living people.  But I do think they’ll try.  Jacob will want to get me back for killing his guys.  And Emma really wants Daryl.  She’s obsessed.  We haven’t seen the last of them, I’m sure of that.  But if I ever see them again, they die.  Period.  They don’t deserve to live.  They just don’t.”

Deanna asked many more questions, and the more Angel talked, the more Daryl’s blood boiled.  She lifted her shirt, showing scars from cuts across her chest and stomach.  They would cut her to attract walkers, then cut off the walkers arms and jaws, like Michonne had done, to hide their perimeter from other walkers.  How they passed her around for sex.  How they would hit her for things like asking for food or water.  How they kept her cabled to a tree and how she had to sleep like that, even if it was cold or rainy.  How they took her shoes and made her walk through the forest barefoot to keep her from running.  How they made her carry everyone’s pack, even though she was sometimes so weak from being starved, she could barely walk.   
She told about how all she knew was that if she went east, that was safe.  How when she arrived at the gates, she wasn’t too sure who everyone was, but that they looked somewhat familiar.  How she believed that men were to be feared because that was all she knew for three months.  And how throwing things at Daryl and making him leave the clinic had hurt her heart, although she didn’t know why at the time.  And how she was glad he didn’t give up on her.

 

It took her over an hour to tell everything.  By the end, Angel was completely exhausted, and had a headache again.  Deanna thanked her and told her she was very proud of her bravery and was very glad that she was back.  Denise, Tara, Rosita, and Daryl all walked back to the house with her.  Denise and Tara went on inside, and before Rosita said goodnight, Angel talked to her briefly about doing a blood test the next day to check for STD’s.  Then it was just her and Daryl.  They sat on the porch swing in silence.  Finally, Angel said, “You ok?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”   
“Well, I’m sure you could have lived without hearing everything that happened to me.  I could feel how mad you were.”   
“Ya could?”   
“It was coming off you in waves.”   
“I ain’t mad at ya, ya know that, right?  I’m mad at them, and what they did.”   
“I know.  Thanks for being there.  It helped.  Even if you were pissed.”   
“Ain’t nobody gonna lay a hand on ya ever again, babygirl.  I promise.”   
“I love that you still call me ‘babygirl’.”   
Even in the dim light, she knew Daryl was blushing.  He said softly, “Ya my world, Angel.  Ya my everythin’.”   
Her hand was next to her on the seat of the bench.  Although he wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms, he knew he couldn’t, he knew she wasn’t ready.  When he had grabbed her by the shoulder earlier, he had felt her stiffen.  Instead, he put his hand down next to hers and lightly touched her pinky with his.  She lifted her hand, and he thought she was moving it away, but instead, she placed it on his.  Daryl knew this was a huge step for her, he could feel her shaking.   
“You’re my world too, Daryl.  Don’t doubt that.  We’ll get back to where we were.  It will just take time.”   
“I got nothin’ but time, babygirl. Wait forever if I gotta.”   
Angel stood to go inside.  “Goodnight, Daryl.  See you tomorrow.”  She gave him a smile, and he melted.

 

Daryl didn’t really walk home, he floated on a cloud.  She was still his.  She still loved him.  He went upstairs and fell into bed with a smile on his face.

 

Angel walked in and Denise and Tara were in the kitchen.  “Everything ok?” Tara asked.  Angel gave a smile.  “Yeah.  I think so.”  Angel went up to bed and fell asleep quickly.

 

The next week was very hard on Angel.   Rosita took blood and they ran it for every STD there was, TWICE, and it came back clean, both times.  At least that was one less thing to worry about.  

She had to have therapy with Denise, and it was so trying on her to relive what had happened.  She knew it was for the best and that it needed to be done, but still.

Angel’s biggest fears revolved around sex.  She wanted to be close with Daryl again, but wasn’t sure if she would indeed be able to be intimate.  She admitted to Denise that their sex life had been somewhat “unconventional” at times.  What if she was unable to have sex with him at all?  “I love him still, Denise.  But what if I freak out when we try to….y’know…?”   
“Well, there isn’t much that CAN be done.  I can promise that I will do my best to help you work through it, but there’s no magic cure.  Some people have no problem.  Some people….have a problem.  I know that you two are working right now on spending a little time together every day, and that’s a very good start.  Start small like this, and go as slowly as you need.  I know you still want to marry him, but there is plenty of time.”   
  


Angel took her words to heart.  She and Daryl were essentially starting all over again.  Tiptoeing around each other, unsure of what to do.  At least this time, they knew they had the hots for each other.

Daryl came knocking on the door a little earlier than usual one day.  She answered the door, and he asked, “Wanna have lunch with me down at the pond?”  He was so cute, like he was afraid she’d say no.  He walked her over to a spot where he had already spread out a blanket and had a picnic basket and everything.  “Aw Daryl.  This is so sweet.  You already had this all set up for me?  What if I’d said no?”   
“Then I would have brought my one, real, true love.”   
“Judith?”

“Yep.”

He pulled out some food and some lemonade, all made by him, and all delicious as always.  When they were done, they laid back on the blanket looking up at the sky.  “I’ve missed your cooking,” Angel told him.   
“I missed cookin’ for ya.”   
“I missed a lot of things about you, Daryl.”   
“Me too.  I miss sleepin’ next to ya.  Always slept better with ya next ta me.  And I miss just comin’ home ta ya, too…”

Angel sat up and looked at the water, so Daryl sat up, too.  “We checked my blood test.  I didn’t catch anything.  We checked it twice, a few days apart to be sure.”   
“Good.  I’m glad ya ok.”   
She took a breath.  “I asked Denise about….um...sex.  Because I’m still spooked by the whole idea.  She said some people are fine right away, and some people are NEVER fine.”   
“Alright.”   
Angel turned to Daryl.  “It’s not alright.  What if I can never have sex with you again, Daryl?  What good am I then?”   
Daryl couldn’t believe what she was saying.  “Are you hearin’ yaself?  Ya think that’s all I want ya for?  Dammit, Angel,” he said, exasperated.  “The way I feel for ya…..ain’t got nothin’ ta do with sex.  I can’t even explain it.  I just wanna be close to ya.  Wanna protect ya.  Dammit, girl, I just love ya, ok?”

Daryl was aggravated.  He’d never been good with words or feelings, and trying to explain his feelings was impossible.  “Angel,” he said softly, “you’re my heart.  That’s all there is to it.  Felt like I weren’t even really alive til ya came along.  Ya make me feel like I’m a decent man.  Ya make me want ta BE a decent man.  Ya got my heart girl. Always.”

He heard sniffling and turned to look at her.  Angel was crying.  Before he could say anything, she threw her arms around him, saying, “That’s the most beautiful thing anyone’s ever said to me.”  It took Daryl a second and then he realized...Angel was hugging him!  Slowly and gently, he put his arms around her as well, gently stroking her back as she cried.  “Please don’t cry, sweetheart.  It breaks my heart.”  Angel ignored his request and continued to cry.  And continued to hold onto him.

When she finally pulled away, he wiped the tears away from her cheeks and smiled at her.  She smiled back and said, “That….felt good.”   
“Yeah it did.”   
“Can you put your arms around me again?”   
“Darlin’, ya don’t gotta ask.”   
That sat on the edge of the pond for hours,  Angel in Daryl’s arms, just the way it should be.  The few people who saw them, left them alone.  For the first time in months, Angel felt RIGHT.

 

A few weeks after Angel came back, life was more or less normal in Alexandria.  Although Angel was still living with Denise and Tara, she spent much of her spare time with Daryl.  Although she loved the physical contact with him, she shied away from anything intimate.  They hadn’t even kissed yet, but Daryl didn’t push her.  As long as he was part of her world, he could wait.  Not to say it was easy, and he was having to occasionally rub one out, but he could deal with it.  

 

One day, the gates were approached by a family.  A husband, wife and teenage daughter.  They had been surviving in a basement while going out and scavenging/foraging.  They had gone out one day, and when they were heading home, a herd was passing through, and they weren’t able to make it back.  They were a tough family, having survived and been on the road.  They were allowed to join the families in Alexandria after being interviewed by Deanna, and fit right in.  They were hard working, with the teenage daughter helping out wherever she could after class.  And Ron, Jessie’s older son, was obviously smitten with her.  He had felt that Carl had “stolen” Enid from him, instead of understanding that Enid chose Carl over him.  Now he followed this new girl like a puppy, and she seemed oblivious.

  
  


Angel started working less at the clinic, doing more of other types of work behind the walls.  She told Deanna she didn’t like sitting around the clinic doing nothing, especially with all the work in the fields that needed to be done.  The vegetable harvest was starting to come in, and they needed all the help they could get.  Some of the vegetables were getting frozen and others were getting jarred and canned, as well as fresh ones being doled out to the people.

 

And then there was the day that Angel kissed Daryl.  He came to get her for what had become their daily lunch date.  He had picked some wildflowers he thought she might find pretty while doing a perimeter check with Rick.  She answered the door to Daryl standing there, cheeks pink, looking bashful and adorable, holding the flowers.  Angel wasn’t sure they what they were for until he said, “I thought you might like these.”   
“Those are for me?”   
“Course.  I thought they was kinda pretty.”   
“They are!  Oh Daryl, I love them!  I can’t remember the last time I got flowers!”  She had him come in while she found a vase, then kissed him.  It was only on the cheek, but he was over the moon.   
“Ya kissed me,” he said later by the pond.  Angel’s face showed fear, she reverted back, asking, “Was that wrong?  Should I not have?”   
“No, baby, it was nice!  I liked it!  Ain’t nothin’ wrong with kissin’ me or touchin’ me anytime ya want, ok?  Ya ain’t gotta be afraid of me, remember?” he told her quickly.  The last thing he wanted was for her to second guess giving him affection.  He was starved for it, and would take any little crumb she threw his way.   
“Really?”  she said, unsure.   
Daryl reached for her hand, and she let him take it.  He told her, “Really.  Ya always been affectionate.  It’s one of the things I love about ya.”   
Angel laid back and closed her eyes and felt Daryl lay back next to her.  They did that a lot, laying on the little bank by the pond.  It felt right to have him next to her.  She looked over at him: his fingers laced behind his head, elbows out.  Quietly, she scooted over and placed her head on his elbow, moving closer to him.  Daryl, to his credit, didn’t move. Didn’t make a sound, even though he wanted to hoot and holler.  He didn’t want to spook her or make her question what she did.  They both started to drift off into a nap, and then Daryl heard her say softly, “Yeah, I still love you,” and he thought his heart would burst.

 

But event then, someone was watching.  Someone was plotting.


	54. Chapter 54

_ SOMEWHERE NEAR BAILEY’S CROSSROADS….. _

 

“I don’t think ya shoulda killed him,” Emma said.   
“Shut up woman.  He weren’t on board with our little plan for Alexandria, “ Jacob said, taking the machine gun off the corpse of the man he’d just killed.  “But now we got this.  We won’t need him.”   
“But you heard what the old scouts said.  Those people got guns.”   
“Yeah, they got guns.  But I got a machine gun.  Anyone crosses me, I can mow down 100 people in seconds.”   
“I don’t think we can take the town, just the two of us.  We need to look for more people,” Emma told Jacob.   
“I don’t want the whole damn town.  I may just burn it down with everyone in it.  I want that damn doctor bitch.  She’s gonna pay for killin’ my men.”   
“What about Daryl?  He’ll come with us.  I KNOW he still loves me.”   
Jacob rolled his eyes.  If anything the doctor had said about this Daryl had even a grain of truth, then Emma was indeed delusional.  Daryl would burn up with the rest of them.  “Shut up, woman,” he muttered.  “Better yet, get on yer knees and open yer damn mouth.  Make yerself useful.”  Emma walked over to Jacob and fell down to her knees, doing the only thing that was keeping her alive.

 

Angel had gone as far as holding Daryl’s hand.  He wasn’t too keen on PDA’s, but this he could do.

Angel only went to the clinic as needed, preferring to help out in the fields.  Although she was getting more trusting of men, she preferred to work around the women with the exception of Red.  He’d become like a father figure to her, even before she’d been taken, and she felt safe around him.  She knew that all the men in town would do their best to protect her if needed, but Red was just different.  And when he worked in the fields, he enjoyed working with her as well.  She didn’t talk much these days, so he would tell her stories about himself, and they always left her with a big smile on her face.

 

One day, her shift in the fields was particularly exhausting.  They had worked until there was no light left.  Running on autopilot, she headed home for a much needed shower.  She opened the back door….and there was Daryl, sitting at the kitchen island eating dinner.  He was as surprised as she was.  In her exhausted state, she had indeed gone home...to her and Daryl’s home.  They just looked at each other for a long moment, then Angel started to back away, saying, “Sorry…”     
But Daryl jumped up.  “Wait!” He couldn’t just let her leave.   
Angel looked at the floor and quietly said, “I guess I was on autopilot.  I was going home….”   
Daryl softly said, “This is still ya home.  It always will be….”

She looked  up at him.  “It feels the same.  It feels the way I remember.”

Daryl got up and starting walking over to her, asking, “How does it feel?”   
“Safe.  Loving.  Just….home.”

Daryl stopped in front of her.  He didn’t want her to leave, but he could see the tension in her body.  “Want some dinner?  I just fixed it, still hot.   I can walk ya back ta Tara’s after if ya want.”

He could see her hesitation, so he added, “It’s a nice night, we can eat out on the porch…”   
“No.”   
He tried to keep his disappointment hidden.  “Ok,” he said softly.

Angel looked at him and said, “We should eat in here, like we always did.”

Daryl was unable to hide his excitement.  “Yeah?  Really?”   
“Yeah.  After all, you’ve never invited me over for dinner, you know.”

She was right.  He’d been so sure that she’d say no, that he didn’t give her a chance to say yes.  He fixed her a plate and they ate side by side, like they always had.  He noticed she ate a lot less than she used to, and frowned.  “Ya need ta eat more, girl.  Ya practically skin and bones still.”

She frowned back.  “I didn’t know you were keeping track.”   
Daryl paused.  “I ain’t.  It’s just….ya used ta eat more….before….”   
“There’s a lot of things I used to do ‘before’,” Angel said.  She didn’t like this conversation one bit.  “Why are you being so damn picky?”   
“Angel,” Daryl said gently, “I ain’t bein’ picky, I promise.  I just worry about ya.  Ya was so damn skinny when ya came back -”   
“Yeah?  Well they didn’t feed me every day, ok?  If I got fed once every other day, that was a goddamn treat for me, ok?”   
Daryl’s heart broke every time he thought about it, and he’d done nothing but think about it since she’d talked at Deanna’s.  Tiny little Angel being put through shit no one should go through.  “Angel…”   
She stood and pushed her plate away.  “I need to get home.”  She looked at Daryl and said, “Thanks for dinner.”   
“Wait, I’ll walk ya back.”   
She glared at him.  “No, you won’t.”

 

Instead of going home, she went for a walk around the town.  It was quiet, most people were home for the evening.  She meandered along the dimly lit streets, and then saw something surprising.  The door to the house Dana and Isabella lived in opened, and Red stepped out.  He gave little Isabella a hug.  The little girls stitches had since been removed, and she had been left with scars all across her little body.  Red said to the girl, “Now you remember what I told you.  Those scars are tiger stripes, because you are tough like a tiger!”  Isabella gave a mighty little, “RAWR!”  And Red laughed and said, “That’s it!”  Dana turned to her daughter and told her to head upstairs and take a shower.   
When she disappeared upstairs, she stepped close to Red.  He took her hand and said, “Thank you for dinner.”  She smiled back and gave him a quick peck on the lips.  “We’ll do it again soon,” she promised.  Red nodded and headed down the stairs and toward his own apartment.  

Angel said, “You and Dana, huh?”

He jumped and gasped.  “Lord, child, I didn’t even see you there!”  He walked over to her smiling and said conspiratorially, “I think she’s sweet on me.”   
“I think you’re a bit sweet on her, too!”   
“Indeed I am!  Now what are you doing wandering the streets, missy?”

“Daryl made me mad.”   
“Well that gets my Irish up!  You want me to go box his ears, love?”   
She giggled.  “No.  Well….maybe.”   
“Want to talk to an old man about it for a bit?”   
They sat down on a bench and she said, “He said I’m not eating enough.  He doesn’t get it.  It’s not that I don’t want to….”   
“You’re scared to?”   
“Sort of.  The people who took me, they...didn’t feed me well.”   
“I know.  I was the one who picked you up and carried you to the clinic.  You felt like a wee tiny babby in my arms, sweetheart.  He wasn’t and isn’t the only one worried.  He isn’t trying to make you mad, dear.  He’s showing you that he loves you and worries about you.”

Angel thought about it….and felt like crap.  Red was right.  Daryl cared about her, he loved her and wanted her to be ok.

“Damn it,” she muttered.

“Come along, I’ll walk you home.”

Red took her back to Tara and Denise’s house.

 

The next morning, Angel told Denise what happened.  Denise assured that what Daryl said, as well as her reaction, was normal.  “In all honesty,” Denise told her, “you really are very thin.  And I’m sure you are very well aware of it.  You’re a doctor, after all.  I’m sure you are well aware that you are probably underweight.”

“I know,” Angel muttered.

“Why aren’t you eating?”   
“I really don’t know.  I guess….I just got so little from them, that I got used to just having the bare minimum.  They would only feed me 2 or 3 times a week.  They would dangle food in front of me, just out of my reach, and then drop it on the ground and kick it away.  I was so hungry sometimes, it felt like my stomach was trying to turn inside out.  I got water every day, but not food.  And it wasn’t because there wasn’t enough to go around, there was plenty.  It was just entertaining for them.  They laughed.”   
Denise was doing her best to keep her neutral doctor face on, but it was hard.  She couldn’t begin to imagine the hell Angel had been put through.  Denise knew she was lucky having come to Alexandria in the very beginning.  Angel had been alone, then captured, then rescued, then brought here, then almost murdered, then captured again, and had to rescue herself when her mind and body were at the very ends of survival.  Denise had seen her just a day after she’d gotten back, she was surprised she had made it.  Taking a breath, Denise told her, “You have put on weight, but not nearly enough.  Your old clothes are still too big on you.  I know you are eating, but not very much.  I know your subconscious is also working against you.  You seem to still be eating the bare minimum to survive.  You need to eat more….and you know that.”   
Dense was right.  Angel DID know that.

“Why aren’t you eating, Angel?”

Angel was silent.  Denise tried again.  “Angel, I can’t help you if you won’t let me.”

Very softly, Angel said, “I’m afraid.”   
“Of what?”   
Looking up at Denise, she said, “They’ll come here.  Regardless of if Jacob gets more people or not.  Jacob and Emma will come and take me away again.  I don’t want to get used to the luxury of food just to have it taken away again.”   
“Oh honey,” Denise sat down next to her and took her hand, doctor neutrality be damned.  “They can’t take you away ever again.  We won’t let them.”

“They took me away once, they can do it again.”

“Angel, now we know what we’re up against.  They won’t even get in the gates.”   
“They didn’t get in last time.  I was out there.  I can’t stay behind these gates every day for the rest of my life.  I’ll go crazy.  I already hate it, I feel like I’m in jail.  But I’m scared to death to go out there.  Jacob is out there, and alive, and pissed.  He knows where we are.  He’s coming.  I know he is.”

“Please believe me, he won’t get within spitting distance of you.  What’s going on with you and Daryl?”

“Nothing.”  Angel was suddenly very tired.  “Can I take a sick day?  I’m just tired.  I want to lay down.”

Denise told her to lay down and she’d let Deana know that she wasn’t feeling well.  Luckily Deanna was giving Angel a lot of leeway since she’d come back.  She’d saved Isabella’s life, and worked her fingers to the bone in the fields 7 days a week; she could take a day off.

 

Angel flopped down in her bed.  She’d been thinking about Daryl a lot.  Working in the fields was easy for her, it was simple and repetitive, and she could let her mind wander, and it always wandered to him.  She sometimes thought about the sex life they’d had, but she didn’t let those memories get too far.  Their sex was epic.  Sometimes she found herself craving Daryl’s touch, but wasn’t sure if she’d be able to follow through, so she never approached him about it.  Sometimes she wished she could sleep next to him again, but she couldn’t expect him to sleep next to her night after night and get nothing in return.  He’d said he’d wait for her forever, but would he really?  How long could a man like Daryl be happy with holding hands?

She fell asleep rather quickly.  Her body was tired from being undernourished and physically overworked.  Closing her eyes, she dreamed of Daryl.  Of his lips on hers, his hands on her body, and his cock buried in her.  

Denise answered the knock on the door.  It was Daryl, come to take Angel to the lake for lunch.  “Oh I’m sorry, Daryl.  She was really tired and went to lay down.  I can wake her if you want?”   
“Nah, let her sleep.  Girl works too damn hard.”  He stood there chewing his nails, and Denise asked, “Was there something else?”   
“Um, sorta...we fought the other night, don’t know if she told ya.”   
“Yeah, because she’s not eating enough.”   
“Yeah.  What did she tell ya?  Do ya know why?”   
“Daryl, I can’t tell you what she said.  It would violate doctor/patient confidentiality.  But yes we did talk about it.  Hopefully, she can work through it.”   
Daryl rolled his eyes.  Denise told him, “Look, I know you’re frustrated…”   
“Damn right!  How am I supposed ta help her?”   
“Calm down!  Just keep doing what you’re doing: make her lunch.  Try to give her a little more food.  Maybe she’ll start eating more.  That’s all I can give you, Daryl.  But be assured, she knows she’s doing it, and she knows we know.  She has her reasons.  All we can do is be supportive and encouraging to her.”

It wasn’t what Daryl wanted to hear.  He wanted a miracle cure, as ridiculous as it sounded.  He wanted her back.  In his house, in his arms, and yes, in his bed.  He missed the way she would snuggle into his side, and the way she would mumble in her sleep.  It wasn’t just about sex.

  
Angel woke up a few hours later.  She was sweating and breathing heavy.   _ ‘Now,’   _ she thought.   _ ‘I need Daryl right NOW.’   _ Going downstairs, she walked out the door, and out to where they were enlarging the fences.  Daryl was working there with Abraham.  As she walked up, Abraham called out, “Well hey there Tiny!”  Daryl turned around.  He was shirtless but had on his angel wing vest.  Ignoring everyone else, Angel’s eyes locked with Daryl’s as she made her way over to him.  Walking up to him without saying a word, she grabbed him and slammed her lips against his.


	55. Chapter 55

To say Daryl was surprised would have been an understatement.  So were all the guys on the crew.  Usually a display like that would have had them erupting into hoots and hollers, but considering who this was, they all stood there in stunned silence.

 

Angel pulled away from kissing him.  Daryl looked at her confused, and asked, “Um, you ok, babygirl?”

“Yes.”  Turning to Abraham, she asked, “Can he leave?  I know it’s the middle of the day, but…”   
Abraham, still in shock from her display, said, “Yep.  Take the rest of the day off and be with your woman, Daryl.”

Grabbing his hand, Angel led him away from his work.

 

“Angel?  Where we going, baby?”   
“Home.”   
Daryl looked around.  “But your house is the other way.”   
She turned and looked at him.  “No.  OUR home.  I want to come home, Daryl.  I can’t make any promises, even now, dragging you from work I can’t.  But I just want to come home.  I miss you so much.”  Her eyes filled with tears.

Daryl pulled her to him, holding her tightly in the middle of the street.  “Babygirl...damn.”  He pulled away from her and looked at her.  “You sure you want to come home with me?”

“Yeah.”

“Then let’s go.”

 

They walked the rest of the way, and he opened the door for her.  She walked into the kitchen, and made a circle around the island.  Almost like she was looking for something.  Walking over the stairs, she hesitated.  “Can I, can WE, go up?”   
“Sure, baby.  Anything you want.”

Angel walked up the stairs with Daryl behind her.  He was trying hard to control his damn dick, it was trying to rip through his pants.  The kiss was awesome, and now he was watching her ass swinging it’s way up the stairs, still smaller than he’d like.  He’d have to start baking cakes or something.  Fatten her up a bit.

 

She stopped at the top of the stairs for a moment, with him a few steps behind, her ass at eye level.  Then she went into the bathroom.  Standing in the middle and turning slowly, she smiled and said, “I remember this room.”   
“Yeah?”   
“Uh huh.  When I hurt my ankle and when I had the flu, I used to soak in the tub….and sometimes you were there with me,” she said shyly.

He gave her a gentle smile and said softly, “Yeah, I was.”

 

Angel walked out into the hallway, and looked toward Daryl’s “old” room, then turned towards the room they had shared.  Walking in, she smiled.  The bed was unmade, Daryl never made the bed, she’d always done it.  He didn’t see the point when you were just going to get back in and mess it up later.  She let out a small happy squeal and flopped onto the bed,  hugging one of the pillows to her.  “This is my bed!” she said happily. 

Daryl preferred the term “our bed”, but he let her have this one.  “Yeah it is.”   
“I slept so good here!  I like this mattress better than my other one,” she said about her bed at Tara’s.  “I mean, it’s nice of them to let me stay there.  But this...this is home.”

Daryl watched her snuggle the pillow for a few more minutes, with a smile on his face.  Taking a chance, he crawled onto the bed next to her, but stayed as far as he could.  Angel looked at him, slightly scared, but mostly curious.  He finally spoke.

“Ya could stay here again.”

She smiled at that.   
“Ya could move right back in.  I’d go back to that room at the end of the hall….”   
Her face fell.

“You don’t want to stay here with me?”

“Of course I do, Angel!  I just don’t wanna rush ya into anythin’.”  He sat up and looked at her.  “Angel, havin’ ya so close when ya was afraid of me just about did me in.  All I want is ta be close to ya.  Ta protect ya.  Better than I did…” his voice trailed off and he looked away.

Angel sat up and looked at him.  “Daryl, me getting taken wasn’t your fault.  We all got lazy and sloppy. I don’t blame you.  I don’t blame Carl or Enid, either.  At the same time, I can’t pretend that it didn’t happen, but Denise is helping me a lot.  I...I want to be close to you too.  I’m not sure what I’m ready for, but I know I’m not ready for….naked stuff.  But I know I liked kissing you out there. And I know I liked having you up against me.”   
Looking up through his shaggy bangs, he said, “Yeah?”  Angel’s heart skipped a beat, and she told him, “Oh yeah.  I’d be okay if you wanted to kiss me.  Right here.  Right now.”

 

Daryl couldn’t resist an invitation like that.  He moved closer to her, placing his hand on her cheek.  He softly said, “Ya ain’t got nothin’ ta prove to me, babygirl.”   
“I know.”   
“Ya get uncomfortable and ya just say somethin’.  I’ll stop right away, ok?”   
“Ok.”   
He leaned over and gently pressed his lips to hers, getting surprised when she pulled him tighter to her and pressed her lips against him even harder.  He was loving how soft and warm her lips were against him, and was thrilled when her tongue slid out and tentatively touched his lips.  Daryl immediately parted his lips giving her access.  She laid back, pulling Daryl on top of her.

 

It wasn’t long before they were making out like horny teenagers.  Angel on her back, Daryl on top of her, and the only sounds in the house was their heavy breathing.  Daryl was trying to not lay all the way on top of her, he was hard and didn’t want her to get upset or feel pressured to do anything, but she wrapped her legs around him and pulled his body tightly to hers.  She was full of surprises today.  

He rolled them over so she was on top of him, but they never stopped kissing.  He slid his hands down her back.  Angel’s shirt and pants had a small gap between them, and Daryl gently ran his hands along the exposed strip of skin there.  He’d always loved how soft her skin was.  Having someone touch her so gently and so lovingly after all she’d had was violence, felt so nice.  She ground her crotch against Daryl’s, causing him to moan.

In between kisses, Angel said to him, “Tell me you can love me again.”   
Daryl stopped kissing her, taking her face in his hands and said, “Again?  Babygirl, I never stopped.  I never will.  You’re it for me, Angel.”

Her lip quivered, and she buried her face in his neck, sobbing.  Daryl held her tiny body against his.

“I love you so much, Daryl,” she said into his neck, and his heart soared.  “I love you so much and I’m so scared.”

“Shh.  I know babygirl.”

Angel slid off of him to the side.  “I want to stay here.  With you.  And I want to sleep here with you, but I don’t know that I’m ready for sex.  I can’t expect you just sleep here and get nothing in return, I know that.”   
“Why not?”

Well, that question caught Angel off guard.   
She sat up and looked at him.  “Well...because you’re a man.  You’ve got….y’know, ‘needs’ and stuff.”   
“I’m a man, but I ain’t a goddamn animal girl.  Ya know me better than that.”  Daryl was offended.

Angel saw that he was angry, and reverted right in front of his eyes.  Her eyes grew big and full of fear, and she said, “I’m sorry!  I didn’t mean anything by it, I swear!”  She was slowly backing off the bed away from him.

He sat up.  Looking at her like this was heartbreaking.  “Angel, it’s ok,” he told her gently.

“I’m sorry!  I’m so sorry!”   
“Angel, stop, it’s ok…”  She was looking everywhere but at him.  “Angel, look at me.”   
She looked at him, but she was still scared, still backing away.  Daryl got up off the bed and took a step towards her.  Angel was backed up against a wall, wide-eyed and frightened.  

Daryl spoke to her gently.  “Calm down, girl.  Ya ok.  Ya here with me, I ain’t never hurt ya.  Never will.  I ain’t mad.  Ya ain’t in trouble.”  He stood arms length away from her, and held out his hand.  “Come on, Angel.  Everythin’s ok.”  He didn’t want to get any closer.  He wanted her to decide if she went to him or not.  Slowly, tentatively, she took his hand, and he pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her.  “Girl, ya ain’t never gotta be afraid of sayin’ stuff ta me.  I want ya here with me back in OUR house, and if you’re ok with it, in OUR bed.  Ain’t gonna try ta cop a feel or force myself on ya.  Ain’t what I’m about, ain’t what I’m like, ya know that.  I’m ok with just layin’ next to ya.  Always slept better with ya beside me.”   
“Me too,” she mumbled from his chest.  Suddenly she came up with an idea.  “Can we maybe take a nap together?  Right now?  Kind of like a dry run?”  She’d just woken from a nap, but was still so tired.

Daryl was thrilled.  “Ya sure?  Don’t wanna push ya none.”   
“I’m positive!”

They both kicked off their shoes, and Daryl took off his angel wing vest and put on a clean wife beater, as he had left his shirt at the construction site.  Although he preferred to sleep naked, he knew it was smarter to sleep with clothes on, for now.  He would have to start sleeping in pajama pants and tank tops or t-shirts for her.  They climbed into bed together, and he resisted the urge to pull her against him.

Angel curled up into a little tiny ball, said, “‘Night Daryl,” and was out like a light.  Daryl watched her sleep for a long time.  She had never curled up like that, making herself as small as possible.  It broke his heart to see it.  He watched her sides rise and fall with each breath.  Watched as a slight frown crossed her face, replaced by a slight smile, and wondered what she was dreaming about.  Watched her mutter nonsensically in her sleep, just like she used to.     
Rolling over to his back, Daryl closed his eyes.  That’s when Angel, still sound asleep, scooted over, and cuddled up to him, murmuring his name.  She curled herself into him, just like she used to, with her head on his chest so she could hear his heart beating.  He laid stock still, almost afraid  to breathe.  He didn’t want to disturb her, and he didn’t want to wake her and have her think he was trying something.  But finally he gave in to ONE urge.  He wrapped his arms around her and fell fast asleep.


	56. Chapter 56

Daryl woke up a few hours later.  At first he felt sad, thinking he’d just dreamed her coming back to the house.  But then he felt her warm little body against his, and knew it was real.  His girl, his Angel, she was here with him again.  She was snuggled up against him with her head on his chest, breathing softly.  Daryl just laid there with her for the longest time, playing with her long beautiful hair.  Dixon’s had never been lucky, but it seemed like he had the best luck of all.  He met her at the end of the world, and she loved him.  She loved a Dixon!  She was smart, strong, and beautiful, and he never could figure out how he got so lucky.  He’d lost all of his bloodline and found a new family with his friends, and now with this beautiful girl next to him.  He was going to marry her.  It was going to take a little longer than they planned, but he had no doubts.

 

Angel stirred against him, her leg sliding between his, and rubbing the near constant erection he seemed to have around her.  He gently slid away from her.  He was going to have to go to the bathroom and take care of this, the last thing he wanted was for her to wake up and see him pitching a tent.  She had said she wasn’t ready for “naked stuff”, and he didn’t want her to think he wanted that.  Daryl did, of course, he was crazy about her.  But that wasn’t the only thing he wanted from her. Daryl didn’t want Angel to wake up to his hard on.  It was bad enough earlier when they were making out and she grinded against him.

 

He slipped out of bed and went into the bathroom, closing the door quietly.  He leaned against the edge of the little alcove that had the toilet, and lowered his pajama pants just enough to pull out his swollen member.  Daryl knew he’d have to be quick, he didn’t want her to wake up alone and be afraid.  He spit in his hand and started stroking himself.  He had enough hot memories of Angel to get off for a lifetime, if needed.

 

Angel woke up alone in the bedroom.  The light was dim, so she must have been asleep for a while.  Daryl was gone, she reached over to where he had lain, and it was still warm.  He must have just gotten up.  Where was he?  Was he in the kitchen or bathroom?  Had he gone to get her things from Tara’s place?  She got up and made her way to the bathroom silently.

 

In Daryl’s mind, he was balls deep into Angel, instead of into his own fist.  He was breathing heavily and didn’t hear Angel open the door.

 

But he did hear her loud gasp of surprise.

 

That was a show stopper alright.

 

It was a repeat of the day after the Home Depot disaster all over again.  Daryl turned his back, trying to stuff his painfully hard cock back in his pants.  “Dammit!” he swore at himself.  Turning to her he snapped, “Don’t ya knock, girl?  Jesus Christ!”

Angel’s eyes got big and fearful and she shrank back against the sink.  She lowered her eyes to the floor.  Daryl wanted to kick himself.  He was embarrassed and it made him angry, and he lashed out at her, even though he knew better.  She wouldn’t look him in the eye, keeping her gaze averted to the ground at his feet.  He was pretty sure if he hadn’t stepped in front of the doorway, she would have bolted.

 

Angel spoke, barely above a whisper.  “I woke up and didn’t know where you were.  The door wasn’t closed all the way.  I’m really sorry.  That was wrong of me.”

 

Daryl started toward her, saying, “Angel-”  But she flinched.  He tried again, staying where he was.  “Babygirl, stop.  Please look at me.  I’m the one who needs to apologize.  Ya didn’t do nothin’ wrong.”  She raised her eyes to his, so he continued.  “Ya say ya remember….well then ya gotta remember the effect ya always got on me.”  She gave a little smile.   
“Ya do, don’t ya?”   
“Yeah.”   
“Alright.  Well ya still do it ta me.  Can’t help it.  Had ta do somethin’.  Was gettin’ uncomfortable.  I’ll close the door better next time.”  He turned to leave the bathroom.

“Wait,” she said softly.  He turned to her.  “Um, you did that once before that I saw, after Home Depot, when you and Rick found me.”   
“Yeah, I did,” he said, turning pink.   
“But when it happened then, I stopped you and we had sex.”   
“S’right.”  What was she getting at?  She couldn’t be ready for that, not yet.   
“C-could I...could I watch?”

Without even giving it a thought he said, “Oh hell naw, girl!”   
“Why not?  I’ve had sex with you, I’ve given you blow jobs, you’ve fucked every hole I have.  Why can’t I watch?  Maybe I could learn something.  You know, for later.”  She looked at his crotch.  “Besides, you’re still hard.  If you don’t take care of it you’ll get blue balls.”

He stood there.  She was right, it was already getting painful.  What else could he do, throw her out of the bathroom and lock the door?  He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes.  It wouldn’t be the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to him, that was for sure.  Her soft hand slid up his arm and he opened his eyes and looked into hers.  She leaned in and kissed him softly.  “Let me watch, Daryl.  Please?”

He looked at her.  Love makes you do crazy things, and this was only slightly crazy, compared to some of the kinky shit they’d done.  “Yeah, ok.”  

Angel smiled and clapped her hands like some kid who just got told they were going to Chuck E. Cheese for dinner.  Damn she was so cute.  He lowered his pants and pulled out his now almost painfully hard cock.  Angel whispered in his ear, “You’re the biggest guy I’ve ever been with.  Always loved the way you felt inside me.”  Oh damn, she was gonna make this easy.  He spit in his hand again, and as soon as he wrapped his hand around himself he let out a moan, telling Angel, “Ain’t gonna take long, princess.”

He closed his eyes again and he pumped his hand on his cock.  Angel was touching his body, his arms, his chest, his stomach.  Then she started kissing his neck.   
“Oh shit babygirl,” he moaned.   
She gently bit and then sucked on his earlobe.  She whispered softly, “I love you, Daryl” before attaching her lips to that one spot on his collarbone.

He came undone.

  
“Oh fuck, oh fuck, OH FUCK!  ANGELLLL!  FUCK BABYGIRL!”  He shot spurt after spurt into his hand, and slid to the floor, spent.  Angel turned his head to face hers and gave him a searing kiss.  “Thank you for letting me watch.  That was probably the sexiest thing I ever saw,” she whispered in his ear.  He could only nod.  He leaned over to the toilet to dump the load in his hand, and as he stood, Angel took his hand and wiped it with a damp cloth.  Daryl could only watch as she meticulously wiped every trace of cum off of his palm.  Before wiping off his fingers, she brought one to her mouth and ran her little pink tongue along it, telling him, “I missed that taste.”   
  
This girl was going to be the death of him, and he was going to love every second of it.


	57. Chapter 57

Daryl fixed dinner for himself and Angel.  It was starting to feel a little bit like it did before.  They ate and walked over to Tara’s house to get her things.  Tara was thrilled for her making such a big and decisive step and went up to help her get her things.

Denise, downstairs with Daryl, wasn’t so sure.     
“Daryl, I don’t think this is a good idea.”   
“I don’t care what ya think. Me and Angel are a team, lady.  We been together longer than you and Tara, and we’ve been through more, too.”   
“This isn’t a contest.”   
“Damn right it ain’t.  It’s a choice, and it’s HER choice.  I had no say in it except when she asked me if she could come back and I said ‘yes’.  She wants ta come home with me, so she’s comin’.  If she wants ta come back here, I’ll bring her back.  You can still do all ya head shrinkin’ ta her as long as she’s ok with it.  But right now?  Angel is comin’ home.  PERIOD.”

 

Angel came down the stairs with her clothes in a laundry basket and her bow slung over her shoulder, with a big smile on her face.  Denise stopped her, saying, “I don’t think this is a good idea.”

Daryl yelled at her, “Dammit lady!  What we do ain’t none of ya business!”   
Angel’s face fell, and she said, “Why shouldn’t I go?  It’s home.  I want to go home.  I want to be with Daryl.”   
Denise said, “I think it may be too sudden.”   
Tara interrupted this time.  “Denise, let it go.  She’s fine.”

“Damn right she is,” Daryl muttered angrily.  He took the laundry basket from Angel, being gentle and asked softly, “Want me ta carry ya bow, too?”   
“No, I’ve got it.”   
“Okay, babygirl. Let’s go home.”

He held the door open for her, and shot Denise a hateful look as they left.

 

Denise looked at Tara.  “Maybe I was wrong.  Maybe it’s ok.”   
Tara sat down and said, “Why would you think it wasn’t?”   
“He just seems so...abrasive.”   
“But he’s not with her.”   
“Yeah.  I saw that.”

“When she hurt her ankle, he spent days carrying her around.  The big tough guy is nothing but a softie when it comes to Angel.  I think….you may owe him an apology.”

 

They walked back to the house in silence.  As they went inside, Angel said, “I think Denise is wrong.  I’m happy to be back here.  This is my home.  Our home.”

They went upstairs and Daryl sat on the bed as she put her clothes away.  He noticed that she put everything in the exact same drawers as she always had.  She saw him smiling and said, “What?”   
“Ya puttin’ ya stuff just where ya used to.”   
“Huh...I guess I am.”

 

Angel put her clothes away, and put her toothbrush and hairbrush in the bathroom.  “Can I take a shower?”   
“Babygirl, ya can do anythin’ ya want!”

Daryl went in the bedroom and was checking his bolts when she came back in.  He nearly fell off the bed.  She was wrapped in a tiny bath towel, and he momentarily flashed back to one of their first encounters in the house.  He quickly averted his eyes.  Angel, cheeks pink, said, “I didn’t take any clothes in.  Sorry.”   
Getting his voice back, Daryl asked her, “Uh, ya want me ta leave?”   _ ‘Smooth move dumbass,’   _ he silently chastised himself.   _ ‘No, she wants ya ta sit here and stare at her.’ _ _   
_ __   
He started to get up, but she said, “No.  I’ll take this stuff into the bathroom.”  She grabbed a few items and walked back down the hall.  She dropped what looked like her sleep shorts as she went into the bathroom.  Running on old autopilot, Daryl picked it up and not even thinking opened the door.  “Hey, babygirl.  Ya dropped-”

 

Angel was naked.  She spun around when he entered, and feebly attempted to cover herself, putting one arm across her breasts, and one hand down covering her crotch.  Daryl had seen her pull her shirt up to show Deanna some of her scars, but with her naked, there were so many more.   With her back to the mirror, he saw everything.  His eyes travelled over her body, he couldn’t help himself.  Battle-scarred, thin, and still so beautiful.  When his eyes reached hers, she looked away, ashamed.  She knew what she looked like.  She looked like roadkill.  Daryl dropped the shorts to the floor, forgotten, and crossed the room to her.  Speaking very softly, Daryl took her face in his hands and said, “Babygirl, look at me.  Don’t look away.”  He ran his hands down her arms and continued.  “Didn’t mean ta walk in on ya, guess I’m runnin’ on autopilot today.   Didn’t mean ta stare, neither.  But goddamn if ya ain’t still the most beautiful woman I ever laid eyes on.”  Pulling her hands away from herself, she pulled him close and kissed him, and tried to put his hands on her body.

“No, baby,” he told her.  “We ain’t ready for that yet.  It ain’t that I don’t wanna, cause I really do.  We just need ta wait a bit.  I know you know that.”

Angel smiled and nodded.  Daryl turned and retrieved her shorts from where she’d dropped them on the floor, and handed them to her, trying not to look at her now completely naked form.  Then he turned and walked out.  Yeah, he was gonna be beating off as much as he had when she had first moved in. 

 

They headed to bed early, both still tired from a very busy day.  Angel curled up into a tiny ball on her side of the bed, and Daryl lay on his side and turned out the lights.  After  just a moment or two, Angel said softly, “I forgot my night light.  I don’t like it this dark.”   
“Ya want me ta turn on one of the lamps?  Would that help?”   
“Maybe, but….can I sleep closer to you?  Like I used to?  Would that be….too much?”   
Daryl was elated.  “Not at all babygirl.  Get yaself over here.”  Angel scooted over and snuggled up close, her head on his chest. 

Speaking softly, she said, “I always loved laying like this.  I can hear your heart beating.  Also, you’re really warm.  Tara gave me a bunch of blankets, but it wasn’t the same, you know?”

“Yeah, I know darlin’.”  Every time Daryl came home from looking for her, he would sleep holding her pillow, just because it smelled like her.  Until finally, it just didn’t anymore.  Now his whole bed would smell like her again.  Even better, she was in his arms.  He wrapped them a little tighter around her, and she gave a little contented sigh.  He was never letting her go again.

 

Angel started having an erotic dream.  It was likely due to not only his proximity, but the fact that she could smell his delicious smell even in her sleep.  She was dreaming they were in the woods together, hunting.  They weren’t finding much, and decided to take a break.  They were sitting by a creek, hidden by trees, when Daryl reached for her.  He stood, took her hands and pulled her into a standing position, then backed her up against a tree and started kissing her.  Her lips, her face, her neck.  She reached her hands to his pants, but he pinned them above her head to the tree with one hand, telling her huskily, “This ain’t about me.  No sex, not yet, gonna get ya off, babygirl.  Ya know I can….”  She just nodded.   
With his other hand, he easily undid and pushed down her jeans, then slid his hand down the front of her panties, his fingers lightly skimming her slit.  She let out a gasp, and tried to push against his hand, making Daryl chuckle.  “Anxious, babygirl?”

“Yeah…”   
Still using one hand, he pushed down her panties as well, then released her hands as he fell to his knees.  He pulled off her boots, then her jeans and panties together.  Those blue eyes that always made the butterflies in her tummy take flight looked up at her, and he told her, “Best grab onto them branches, girl.”  Angel grabbed some of the lower branches of the overgrown tree and he put one of her legs over his shoulder.  He blew a warm breath over her pussy and she immediately got wet.  Using just the very tip of his tongue, he ran up her slit, just barely inside of her.  Her eyes rolled so far back in her head, she was pretty sure she saw her own brain.  He murmured between her legs, “Ya need this, don’t’cha girl?”  She could only moan in response.  Daryl lapped at her swollen clit like it was a lollipop.  He knew her body so well.  There was a time to fuck around and a time to just fuck, and even though he was tonguing her clit, it was definitely fucking.

Daryl woke up from Angel muttering in her sleep.  He closed his eyes to fall back asleep, but she did something unexpected.     
She started grinding against him.     
In her sleep.   
HARD.

And she really seemed to be enjoying it.  

 

Poor Daryl wasn’t sure what to do.  She was obviously having the female equivalent of a wet dream.  He didn’t want to wake her, so he figured he’d just let her ride it out.  By riding his leg.  Good lord.

 

In Angel’s dream, Daryl was sucking on her clit and humming his encouragement to her.  It was the vibrations from the humming that did it.  She came, and she came HARD, digging her nails into the tree, with her release trickling down her legs.  Daryl lapped it up, not willing to lose a drop.  Her knees gave out and she collapsed into his arms, his voice telling her, “That’s right, babygirl.  Gonna claim every inch of ya all over again…”   
  


When Angel came against his leg, with a small cry and still sound asleep, he felt the wetness seeping right through her shorts.  He reached down between her legs feeling like a pervert and got some of her moisture on his fingers and licked it off.  Fuck she tasted so damn good.  She sighed and slipped into a deep sleep. Daryl managed to slip away to the bathroom to beat off for the second time in less than 8 hours, sucking on the fingers that touched her, making sure he didn’t miss one microscopic drop, and shooting his load into the toilet, then slipping back into bed next to her.

 

They overslept a little bit the next morning, and quickly had breakfast.  Daryl insisted on walking her over to the fields.  Red was at the edge of the field taking a break, and told Angel, “There’s already quite a few in the bucket, love.”  Her face lit up and she said, “Thanks!”  As she wandered off to her spot, Daryl asked Red, “Quite a few of what?”  Red looked at Daryl’s confused face and said, “You don’t know?”   
“No.”   
“Snails.”   
“Snails?”   
“Yep.  She won’t allow us to kill any snails we find.  She has a little childrens pail in the field, with a little grass and a little water in it, and we put them in there.  At the end of the day, she takes them out to the unplowed parts of the field and lets them go.”   
Daryl was confused.  “What the hell for?  Ain’t they considered pests?” 

“Well, I asked her.  She just said that they had a purpose.  I asked her what it is and she said she didn’t know, then said, ‘What purpose does a human being have?’  She got me on that one.  Don’t have much of a purpose either, far as I can tell.  We just do it for her, it makes her happy.”   
“She saves the snails,”  Daryl said.

“She does indeed,” Red smiled heading back to the fields.

 

Daryl thought about that for a long time while working on the fences.  His Angel was just a sweet girl.  Rescuing snails.  Stitching up little girls.  Loving him.  Yep, his lady was awesome.  Couldn’t make much sense of the snail thing, but everyone needs a hobby.

 

At the end of the day, he walked to the fields to pick her up and ran into Red.  Red smiled and directed Daryl towards the unplowed field.  “She’s letting her friends from today go free.”

Daryl walked up quietly, and watched as she took each snail out, one at a time, and placed them in the abundant field of clover.

“Hey, babygirl.  What’cha doin’?”   
“Snails.  Putting them where they won’t be bothered.”   
“Why?”

Angel looked up at him.  “They haven’t done anything wrong.  They don’t know they aren't supposed to eat our food.  So over here, they’ve got plenty to eat.  If and when they plow this over, I’ll figure something else out.  But for now, they go here.”   
“You save worms too?”   
She turned and looked at him. “No.  We need the worms over there.  They help aerate the soil.  She stood up, grabbing the kiddie pail to put it back by her plot.  “Nobody likes snails.  People step on them just to do it, just because they can,” she replaced the pail and turned to him.  “I grew up treated like that.  I didn’t like it.”   
They started walking back to the house and Daryl thought about what she’d said.  He told her, “I grew up like that, too.”   
“I know.  I think you get it.  It’s just something I do.  I used to move snails off sidewalks and stuff growing up.  Kind of helped cement my reputation as a dirty hillbilly girl.”

 

This beautiful girl and her sweet, big heart.  She sat in the kitchen while he made dinner.  As they were eating he broached the subject he’d been wanting to ask her.   
“Ya sleep ok last night?”   
“Yep.  Like a rock.”   
“No dreams?”   
She looked at him confused.  “Not that I remember.  Why?”   
“Nothin’.  Just was... whimperin’ in ya sleep a bit.  Kinda squirmin’ around.  Thought maybe ya had a nightmare or somethin’.”   
Angel thought for a moment, then simply told him, “If I did, I don’t remember it.  Sorry if I woke you.”

 

After dinner she asked if she could have the bathroom to herself so she could take a hot bath.  Her muscles were sore, and she knew a soak would do her some good.  He went in the bathroom with her, pulling out a bottle from under a cabinet.  “They found some of this on a run a while back.  I kept one for when ya came home.”  It was a bottle of vanilla bubble bath.  She gave him the biggest hug.  He left her to it.

 

Walking by the bathroom about 30 minutes later, he could hear her humming softly to herself.  Knocking on the door, he said, “Ya ok in there?  Turn into a raisin?”  To his surprise, she said, “Come in here and keep me company.”  He didn’t need to be told twice.  He walked in to find her body concealed by a mountain of bubbles.  “Damn girl!  How much of that stuff ya use?”  Angel giggled and told him, “Just a bit, but when the bubbles start to die, I just turn on the jets and it makes them all come back!”  She leaned back in the tub and told him, “Daryl, I miss you.”   
He sat on the floor next to the tub and told her, “I’m right here, girl.  Ain’t gotta be missin’ me.”   
“That’s not what I meant.  I meant….you know, sexually.”

“Baby, it’s ok.  I ain’t in a hurry.”

Angel sighed.  How did she explain this to him?  “It’s just that….I really, really want to have sex with you.  But I’m really, really scared I’ll freak out.”   
“Baby, we got plenty of time.”   
“Aren’t you listening?  I don’t want to wait, dammit.  I want to fuck you!  I woke up with wet panties this morning.  What kind of nightmare does that?” she asked looking at him.  He turned red and she said, “I had a hot dream, didn’t I?”  Head down, he just nodded.  “That’s why you asked about my dream?”  Another nod.  “Dammit, Daryl!  Why didn’t you just say so?”  He didn’t reply, just shrugged.

“So now you won’t talk to me?  Fine.”  Angel stood to get out of the tub, reaching for a towel.  Daryl looked up and saw the bubbles and water sliding down her body and looked away.  He stood and left for the bedroom.  Angel walked in a short time later, ready for bed, and smelling so wonderful.  She said coldly and quietly, “Don’t think I don’t know what’s going on here.”   
“What?”   
“It’s obvious, Daryl.  You bit off more than you can chew by having me come back here.  You had no idea what I looked like under my clothes.  It makes you sick.”   
“What?  Where the hell ya get that idea?”   
“I’ve been naked in front of you twice.  And both times, you looked away.  You’ve never looked away from me.  I tried to put your hands on my body and you pulled away.  The scars on my back were bad enough, but now I’ve got them everywhere, and you can’t get away from them.  I’m more fucked up now than you’ll ever be!”

Daryl was stunned.  Is that what she really thought?  “Then why the hell did I let ya sleep half on top of me last night?”   
“Because you can’t see them in the dark.  You can pretend that I’m who I used to be, all precious and unspoiled!”

 

Daryl was getting irritated.  The only reason he hated her scars was because of the pain she went through to get them.  “Dammit girl! Ya got no idea what the fuck ya goin’ on about!”

Angel was about to explode.  She pulled off her shirt.  “Look at me, Daryl!”  He averted his eyes.  “You see?” she started to cry.  “You can’t stand the sight of me anymore!  You think I’m disgusting!”  Angel’s heart was breaking.  She had come back here, she had come back to him, and now he didn’t want her.  She couldn’t force him.  She cursed her broken brain for bringing her back and she cursed her broken body for surviving.

 

Daryl looked at her, standing across the room from him, topless, with her head in her hands, crying.  He walked over to her and tried to put his arms around her, and she shoved him away.  He grabbed her a bit roughly and pulled her to him, and she continued to fight him and tried to squirm out of his grip, saying, “Let go of me, you asshole!”  Angel was putting up such a fight the he had to back her up against the wall and pinned her up against it with his own body, “Dammit girl, quit fightin’ me!  First ya get mad cuz I won’t touch ya, and now ya don’t want me to!  Make up ya mind, ya crazy fool!”

“Let me GO!”

“The hell I will.”

“I’ll scream!”

“No ya won’t.”

Angel drew in a breath, but before she could scream, he put his hand over her mouth, muttering, “Ok, I guess ya will.”  She screamed anyway, but nobody could hear it.  “God dammit girl!” She wouldn’t calm down, and to top it off, she was trying to hit him, so he grabbed her hands and pinned them to the wall above her head.  “Will ya just calm the fuck down for a second?!”  Angel stopped squirming, but he didn’t let her go.

 

Angel stood glaring at him.  Red faced, hair mussed, topless, and with her arms pinned above her, pushing out those incredible tits he loved so much.  He leaned down, pressing his forehead to hers, saying quietly, “Please calm down, ya fightin’ me like a damn wildcat over nothin’.  Ya wanna know why I can’t look at ya?  THIS is why.”  He grabbed one of her hands and put it on his crotch.  He was hard as a rock, and just pressing her hand against it made him suck in a breath.  “I want ya bad, babygirl.  Real bad.  Last night when ya had ya dream, ya was rubbing up against me somethin’ fierce, but ya never did wake up.  I did.  Had ta come in the bathroom and...take care of it.  Want ya all the time, and lookin’ at ya naked, that just makes it worse.  Now don’t get me wrong, I ain’t never forced myself on a woman and I ain’t about ta start.  Ya want me and ya scared.  Said it yaself.  I feel the same way.  Worried that I might start and not be able ta stop, even if ya need to.  Worried that maybe ya won’t be able to say nothin’, and I’ll be too far gone ta even see the signs.”  Daryl let her hands go and put his on either side of her, still keeping his forehead pressed to hers, and his eyes closed, as if it helped his confession.  “Couldn’t live with myself if I ever hurt ya.  Just couldn’t.  It ain’t ya scars I can’t look at, Angel.  It’s that fuckin’ hot body ya got.  Walked around with a hard on when I first brought ya here, now it’s worse.  It’s worse because I been with ya, babygirl.  I know what ya body can do, know what it feels like ta be inside ya.  Fuckin’ torture, “ he said, gritting his teeth.

 

Angel had been silent this whole time, and he was almost afraid to open his eyes.  But when he felt her tiny hand wrap around his cock right through the crotch of his pants, his eyes flew open just as she placed a gentle kiss on his lips.  Pulling away, she looked up at him and said, “Maybe you just need a little release before the main attraction,” and sank down to her knees.


	58. Chapter 58

Angel dropped down to her knees and started undoing Daryl’s pants.  He felt like he should stop her, but he really didn’t want to.  He said, “Babygirl, ya ain’t gotta-”   
“Shut up, Daryl.  Seriously.”

 

Angel undid his belt and pulled his pants and boxer briefs down to his knees.  His big, delicious cock was pressed against his stomach.  Wrapping her hand around it, she realized that it really was fucking huge.   _ ‘All the guys in the Wolves were just average, small really, compared to Daryl…’   _ she thought, then shook her head.  No more thoughts about them.  Daryl turned and leaned his back against the wall, never taking his eyes off of her.  He reached down and gently stroked her face, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.  He repeated softly, “Ya ain’t gotta.”  Angel opened her mouth to protest, and he said, “I just wanna make that clear. Ok?”

Angel looked up at him and nodded.  Then she ran her tongue softly along his unit, from base to tip, eliciting a small groan from him.  She wrapped her lips around the tip and slowly started pulling him in, inch by agonizing inch.  She seemed to feel even better than he remembered.  It had been so long without her...too long.  His massive cock was seated in her throat, but instead of bobbing, she started swallowing, making her throat muscles tighten and release around him.  Daryl managed to spit out, “Babygirl!  Gonna cum!” before he shot down her throat, embarrassed.  He lasted less than a minute, like some damn teenager getting his first blowjob.  

Angel never even batted an eye as it happened.  She swallowed it down, gently released his cock, and sat back on her heels, just looking at him.

Daryl met her eyes, and just said, “Sorry.”   
“Why?”

“Didn’t last very long.”   
Angel looked confused.  “Yeah. That’s the point.  Empty the tank, so to speak.”   
Daryl tucked his cock away, and knelt down in front of her.  “Forgot how good ya are at...that.”   
“‘That’?  You mean sucking your cock?  You can say it, you know.”

 

He took her hands and stood, bringing her up with him.  Before he could say or do anything else, she pushed him against the wall and kissed him.  Her mouth tasted so sweet, mixed with his own emission.  “Angel, baby…” he moaned softly, wrapping his arms around her naked back, and touching her soft skin, feeling the scars that marred it.  He wished those bastards were alive just so he could kill them again.

 

She grabbed him by the lapels of his worn flannel, and walked backwards taking him with her, until she got to the bed and stopped.  Breaking off the kiss, Daryl looked at her beautiful face.  She was here.  She was with him.  She was home.

Angel just smiled and started unbuttoning his shirt, and pushed it off his shoulders.  She took his hands, and he let her place them on her breasts.

 

My god, Daryl thought he’d gone to heaven.  Had they always been so big?  Spilling over his big hands, with hardening pink nipples.  He gently squeezed them and brushed his thumbs over the nipples, licking his lips.  Angel reached up and guided his head down to one and he took it in his mouth, licking and sucking it, running his tongue over the hard peak again and again, listening to her sighs and small moans of pleasure.  As he moved his head to the other nipple, she whispered, “I’ve missed the way you do that so much.”  He brought his head up to hers and kissed her, while gently pulling at her nipples with his fingers to keep them hard.  Daryl knew that in the past she’d liked it rough, but he was pretty sure she’d had enough roughness for a while.  He pulled back and watched her face for a moment while his fingers played with her nipples: eyes shut, small gasps escaping her mouth.  “Touchin’ ya like this ok, babygirl?”  Angel simply nodded, and he watched as she slid her own hand between her legs, and began gently working it against the little sleep shorts she had on.   _ ‘Fuck that’s hot as hell,’   _ he thought.  He made a mental note to ask her to let him watch her get herself off at some point.  It was only fair.  “Daryl, please….” she breathed, bringing him back to the matter at hand.

He lowered his head to her other nipple, while his hands slowly pulled down her shorts.  They fell to the floor, and as she stepped out of them, Daryl took a step back to look at her naked body.  She stood wringing her hands nervously, and looking everywhere but at him.  “Babygirl, look at me,” he said softly.  Angel shook her head and cast her eyes to the floor instead.  “I said look at me,” he said gently, but with a bit more authority.  She raised her eyes to his, full of uncertainty.  “What’s goin’ on in that pretty head of yours?” he asked her.

Angel paused, then whispered, “My...my scars.  I don’t….I can’t…”   
“Shhh.  Babygirl, I don’t give a damn if ya got scars.  Don’t’cha remember?  Ya told me scars showed that ya survived.  And ya did.  Ya hung on, ya fought….and ya came home.  Ain’t never lettin’ ya outta my sight again.  Always gonna protect ya.  Always gonna love ya.  That ain’t changed.”

Angel reached over and started to unbuckle his pants.  She got them undone and he stepped out of them, standing in his boxer briefs, huge erection obvious. He suddenly picked her up in his arms, eliciting a squeal of surprise from her.  It broke his heart to feel how much lighter she was, but it wasn’t the time to lecture her.  He laid her on the bed, and climbed gently on top of her, holding his weight off of her on his elbows and knees.  Angel grabbed him by his hair and pulled his mouth towards her own.  He was lying in between her legs, and slowly, her legs bent and then wrapped around him, and she tried to pull his body down on top of her.  “Daryl, I need to feel you against me,” she whispered between kisses.  She seemed to know exactly what he was thinking as she continued, “You won’t hurt me.  Please.”  Daryl couldn’t ignore a request like that.  Pulling away from the kiss and keeping his eyes on hers, he slowly lowered his full body weight onto her.  Closing her eyes, she let out a sigh.  She remembered this feeling.  The feeling of Daryl being all around her, like a protective cocoon.  

He just held her like that for a few minutes, thanking a god he didn’t really believe in for this moment.  Even if she stopped everything right now, he would always have this moment, where he was literally surrounding her with himself, keeping her safe.  Her voice, breathless in his ear, brought him back to the present.  “I need….I need you, Daryl.  Please.”  Looking at her he asked, “What do ya need, girl?”

“I need you inside of me.”   
“Ya sure?”   
“Yeah.  Just….go slow, ok?”

Smoothing her hair back from her forehead, he could only nod.  Three long months.  More than that, actually.  He hadn’t been inside her for so long.  He could see a little bit of nervousness in her eyes.  He was nervous, too.  “Gonna start off easy, babygirl,” he told her as he slid his hand between their bodies.  

Daryl wanted nothing more than to give her a good deep dicking over and over again until neither of them could walk, but he didn’t want to hurt or frighten her.  She was as skittish as a feral kitten, and he couldn’t be prouder of how brave she was being, but he’d be damned if he would put his needs before her own.

Kissing her gently, he slowly lowered his hand between her parted legs.  His first touch made her jump, and they both froze.  Looking into her eyes,he said, “What’s goin’ on?  What do ya need?”  Angel gave an embarrassed smile and said, “Nothing.  Your touch is nice.  REALLY nice.  Didn’t expect it to feel so...good.”

Inwardly, Daryl heaved a sigh of relief.  “Just relax, Angel.  Gonna do my best ta make ya feel good.”  He delicately cupped his hand around her sex, feeling the heat it was giving off, and felt her wetness growing.  That was a good sign.  Quickly, he brought his hand to his mouth, sucking on his index finger, then lowering it back between her legs, as slowly as possible, he slid it inside her.  He watched as he slid it in, her tiny little pussy accepting him.  Her breath hitched and he paused and shot his eyes up to hers.  “It’s ok,” she smiled, “it feels good.”

 

Daryl eyes shot back and forth from her sweet little box to her beautiful face, and he pumped his thick finger in and out of her.  Her breathing got a bit heavier, and she got even wetter, then started to push herself down on him.  Silently, he slid in a second finger, and she gasped, “Yes...”  He was so relieved she was enjoying it.  She had told him more than once that he had the biggest dick she’d ever had.  He needed to work her up to it.

He started rubbing his thumb against her clit, which was swelling with need.  That’s when it hit him.  She hadn’t gotten off in a LONG time.  With the exception of her wet dream, which she didn’t even remember, she likely hadn’t gotten off in months, especially not when those bastards were raping her.  Angel NEEDED this.  She needed to feel good.  She needed him to want her.  She needed to scream his name.

Daryl sped up his fingers, as he slid up her body.  He kissed her cheek, and down to that spot on her neck that only he could find, and watched her eyes roll back with satisfaction.  He kissed her ear gently, whispering, “So goddamn beautiful, babygirl. Love ya so much.  Thought I’d die without ya.  Does what I’m doin’ feel good, baby?”   
“So  good, so good,” she breathed as she pushed herself harder against his fingers.

“Open ya eyes and look at me, Angel.”   
She did, obediently.  He looked back at her, and told her softly,  “Need ya ta cum on my fingers, need ta give me a taste, girl.”   
“No, Daryl, I want you inside me.”   
“I will be, baby, I PROMISE ya.  Cum for me, Angel.  Let me taste ya.  Been too long.”  The need was evident in his voice, and it was what pushed her over the edge.   
“Oh...oh...OH DARYL!  Oh my god, Daryl!   DARYL!”  Her legs, wide open and shaking, slammed shut, trapping his fingers inside her.  She arched, opened her legs, and almost violently pushed herself onto his fingers several more times, throwing herself into an immediate second orgasm, and soaking Daryl’s entire hand.  Still she didn’t stop.     
Her body was on fire and it felt like every nerve in her body was hardwired into her clit.  Every breath she took shot through it, every move she made set it off.  Angel kept arching and moaning.  Her hands seemed to move of their own volition to her tits where she tweaked her own nipples and pushed herself into a third orgasm.

Daryl couldn’t believe his eyes.  It was fucking hot as hell to see her lose herself, truly lose herself, in sheer pleasure over and over.  His beautiful Angel finally collapsed, spent, and he pulled his fingers out of her.  His entire hand had been soaked, and he began licking off every drop, as if he’d been stranded in the desert and he’d found water.  His hard dick was pressed against her thigh, he was licking her cum off his hand, and she breathed out, “Mmmm, Daryl.  Feel your hard cock on my leg….”

Daryl couldn’t help it, he shot his load, humping her thigh and grunting out his release.  He was so embarrassed.  He buried his face in her neck, all apologies.   
“Shit.  M’sorry, babygirl.  Dammit.”

“Daryl, look at me.”

He looked up at her, as she collected some of his cum off her thigh, and licked it off her fingers.     
  
She told him, “Don’t apologize.  Just get ready for another round.  Because I want more.”


	59. Chapter 59

“Babygirl, we ain’t done tonight until ya say so,” Daryl breathed.  He was going to need a few more minutes to get it back up.  Pulling off his boxer briefs, he used them to wipe his cum off her leg.  He kneeled between her open legs and looked at her body.  Scarred and thin and still the most beautiful body he’d ever seen.

Starting at her neck, his mouth traveled down her body, placing hot, wet, open mouthed kisses.  At first Angel thought he was kissing random spots, but then she realized it wasn’t random at all.  He was kissing her scars, every last one.  Reclaiming her body for the both of them.  Not disgusted, not appalled, not even hesitating.  She propped herself up on her elbows and watched.  His blue eyes shot up and locked on her and he kissed his way down the scars on one leg, then up the other.  Across the scars on her stomach and chest, then she laid back and he worked up her left arm, then her right.  Slow, methodical, gentle.

Up her neck slowly, then he whispered softly into her ear, “Forever, girl.  Love ya forever.”  Across her cheek, then a gentle kiss on her lips.  He pulled back and looked at her, “Love ya, Angel.  Forever.  Couldn’t stop if ya wanted me to.”

“I don’t want you to stop.”

 

Angel wrapped her legs around him, pulling his body down on her.  Damn but that girl had strong legs.  He was flush on top of her, with his cock getting harder by the second, just by being close to her.  Daryl dipped his head, and took one of her nipples into his mouth.  He held it in the wet heat of his mouth, but did nothing else - didn’t touch it with his tongue, just held it in his mouth with the gentlest suction he could apply.  It was only seconds before Angel began to squirm, trying to get some kind of friction on the nipple in his mouth.  “Daryl, please, “ she begged.  He released her nipple, then extended his tongue, making a firm point on it.  He pushed the tip of it right against the very tip of her nipple and started rotating it.  Her eyes flew open, then slammed back shut, and he moved to the other nipple and repeated the entire process.

 

He had one leg pressed between hers, and he could feel her getting wetter with each breath.  Stroking her face, Daryl  told her, “Open ya eyes and look at me, girl.”  When she did he said, “We can stop here.  Don’t gotta go any farther.  Don’t wanna do nothin’ if ya ain’t ready.”  Angel looked at him, gave him a little smile and said, “If you don’t fuck me, I might actually kill you.”  He huffed a laugh at her.  “Not the motivation I was lookin’ for, but I’ll take it.”   
  


He lined up his massive cock at her tiny entrance.  “I’ll go real slow, ok?  If ya need me ta stop or pull back or whatever, ya say so, ok?” he told her, stroking her cheek.  She nodded and bit her lip.  It was obvious she was nervous.  She remembered that he was big, but mostly she was still worried that she’d freak out.  And that was the last thing she wanted to happen.

 

Daryl slowly pushed in just the head of his cock.  God damn, she felt so good.  Still so tight.  He looked at her, her eyes wide and trusting and she nodded.  He pushed in a little more.  Inch by inch, he slowly slid into her, a few times having to wait a little longer while her body readjusted to him, until he was seated deeply inside her.  Her breath hitched as he felt the head of his cock bump against her cervix. He tried to back out just a bit, but she wrapped her legs around him and pulled him back in.   

 

They lay there for a while, him buried inside of her, nose to nose, just looking at each other.  Angel finally whispered, “Ok,” and Daryl slowly started sliding in and out of her.  It took a few strokes before Angel was finally ok, and not afraid.  She loved him.  She loved the feeling of him inside her.  This was how it was supposed to be.  Sex didn’t equal pain anymore.  Daryl’s hard length sliding in and out of her felt GOOD.

 

“Oh Daryl,” she breathed out.  “That feels so good…”  Daryl smiled into her neck and whispered in her ear, “Yeah it does,” and pulled back to look at her face.

Her eyes were closed, cheeks flushed, and her breath was coming in little pants.  Feeling him looking at her, she opened her eyes, and smiled, and Daryl smiled back.  Angel ran her hands up and down Daryl’s back, not even feeling his scars anymore, just feeling the way the muscles moved under his skin as he pumped slowly into her.  She felt the sweat starting to form on his body.  Even better, she felt something stirring inside her.

 

“Daryl, please, faster,” she begged him.

“Ya sure?”   
“YES, dammit!” 

He sped up, and tentatively, Angel brought one leg up to his shoulder.  He held it gently in place, and she pressed her other foot flat on the bed so she could meet him thrust for thrust.

 

Daryl was doing his best to control himself, still afraid of hurting or scaring her, but once she started thrusting up to meet him, he couldn’t handle it.  He started ramming furiously into her.  “Harder Daryl!” Angel cried out.

“Fuck, babygirl!  Ya feel so fuckin’ good!”   
Angel pulled Daryl close to her and whispered hotly in his ear, “Tell me how it feels to fuck me again.”   
“So good babygirl.  So fuckin’ hot and wet, wrapped around me nice and tight.  Damn, Angel, ya just….ya feel right ta me.  Built for me.”  Sliding his hand between their bodies, he started to rub Angel’s clit.  She pulled her leg down from his shoulder, and flipped them over so she was on top, sinking down his length entirely, and emitting a guttural growl.   “Oooohhhhhh, Daryl.”   
  


Daryl almost blew his load right there, but he quickly reached down and squeezed the base of his cock to avoid it.  Angel started riding him furiously, and again he started to rub her clit with one hand while the index finger of his other hand flicked back and forth across her nipples, keeping them hard.  She leaned back on his rod, placing her hands on his thighs behind her and rocking into him.  Moving quickly, he drew his hand away from her clit, spit on his fingers and started rubbing her again.  She leaned forward on him, and he was able to suck one of her hard nipples into his mouth.  Angel placed her hands on his chest and her fingers curled, digging her nails into him.  Daryl let out a groan from the pleasurable pain that it brought him, and called out, “Angel!  Can’t take much more girl!”   
Almost immediately after he said that, Angel’s back arched, and her tight little pussy squeezed him even harder.  He flipped her on her back, gave one more violent thrust into her,  and exploded inside of her.  He was screaming her name in a way he never had, with tears streaming down his face, as she convulsed beneath him.

“ANGEL!  OH GOD ANGEL!  AH!  ANGEL, I LOVE YOU!”  He collapsed into her neck, sobbing uncontrollably.   
Her orgasm hit her hard, and while her body quivered and shook, she let out one long, loud wail.  It was a cry full of fear and pain and pleasure and love.  It was a cry that let go of three months of her life, and left her open for all the love Daryl had for her.  

He had gathered her tightly in his arms beneath him, and was peppering her face with kisses, his tears non-stop.

Angel took his face gently in her hands, and forced him to look at her.  She took in his tear stained face and said to him, “I love you Daryl Dixon.  Forever.”  She wiped his tears away, then added, “And we aren’t done yet…”


	60. Chapter 60

Daryl couldn’t help but chuckle when Angel warned him that they weren’t done.  Sometimes she could be insatiable.  “Ya wantin’ another round, babygirl?”   
“I need….I need you to go down on me.  And I need anal sex from you, also.”

Daryl paused.  He realized what she was doing. She needed him to do everything to her to wash away everything they did.  His heart broke for her.  “Angel, we ain’t gotta-”   
“Stop saying that!” she shouted at him.  “I NEED this.  I WANT this. Only from you.  Make me forget them and remember only you.  Please.”

“Babygirl, let me finish what I was sayin’.  We ain’t gotta do it all tonight.  If ya wanna, I’ll do my best, but we got time.  Ya know that.”   
Angel did know.  But she wanted this NOW.  She needed Daryl to make her his again.

It was going to take Daryl a few minutes before he could get it up again.  He was always up for multiple rounds with Angel, but he was a man, not a machine.  He wasn’t in his 20’s anymore, either.  He kissed her lips and asked her, “How did I get so damn lucky?  Had to wait for the world ta end ta find ya, but I did.”

Angel’s heart melted.  Daryl seemed to think he didn’t have a way with words, but he did.

He started kissing down her beautiful body beneath him.  Pausing at her beautiful breasts, he sucked each nipple gently into his mouth one at a time, then placing her own hands on them as he continued down.

Sliding down between her already open legs, he gently ran one finger through her little “landing strip” of hair, and took a look at her.  She was already getting wet, and he could smell her.  God how he loved and missed that smell!  Angel had been gone too long, she belonged here, with him. 

Using his fingers, he gently spread her open, watching her reaction.  Her eyes were closed, hands cupping her breasts, breathing heavily.

Daryl let his tongue snake out and lick right up along her slit, and her body bucked beneath him.  Being as gentle as he could, he slid his tongue inside her, eliciting a soft moan from Angel.  That sound made his cock twitch and start to come back to life.  He pressed his tongue back inside her flicking it gently, and used his thumb to circle her clit.  Angel pressed herself down on him, forcing his tongue deeper into her, and Daryl released a moan as well.  

He moved his mouth up to her clit, sucking gently, and slid two fingers inside of her easily.  Getting good grip around her waist, Daryl felt her g spot and gently pressed his fingers up against it.  Angel bucked hard, and gave a small cry of approval.  Pressing rhythmically against it, he took his mouth off her clit long enough to whisper, “I love ya, babygirl”, then attached his mouth back to the most sensitive spot on her body.

To say Angel exploded would be an understatement.  She arched hard off the bed and let out a high pitched cry.  Daryl looked up at her to make sure he wasn’t hurting her, but it was obvious he wasn’t.  He pressed continuously against her g spot, making her orgasm in waves, and lapping up the moisture dribbling out of her.  She finally reached down and grabbed his hand, gasping out, “Stop, no more…”

Daryl slid his fingers out of her gently, and gave her a few more licks before sliding up her body.  Angel was covered in sweat, panting, and her legs were still twitching with aftershocks.  “Ya ok, baby?”  Angel was unable to do anything except smile weakly and nod.  Her body was exhausted.  Those animals had exhausted her body before, but now she was safe.  It was ok to stop, or say no, or rest.  

Daryl could see the exhaustion on her face.  “Babygirl, let’s take us a break, ok?  We got time, we got tomorrow off.  We can violate each other some more then,” he told her smiling.  Looking up at him, she weakly said, “I’m ok, besides, you’re hard. I can’t leave you like that.”  She rolled over and reached for his dick.  He grabbed her hand stopping her.   
“Ya can and ya will.”   
“But I -”

“No, Angel.  Look at yaself.  Ya can barely keep ya eyes open.  Ya lady bits gotta be sore by now.  Ya been fingered, fucked and sucked.  It’s late.  So tonight, for now, STOP.  It’s ok ta not do stuff.  Ya ain’t my slave or my captive.  Ya the love of my life and the girl I hope ta marry.  We got time.”

 

Angel felt wrong leaving him like this, all hard, but he was right.  Even though she wanted to have anal sex, not vaginal, her twat was a little sore.  And she was exhausted.  Halfway through thinking all of this over, she simply fell asleep.  Daryl looked down at her and smiled.  Stubborn as a mule, his little one.  That was part of why he loved her, she was fiery.  He was gonna marry her one day.  

 

Daryl fingered the cord around his neck, it still held her star charm and her wedding ring.  He wondered when she would let him put that ring on her finger again.  She hadn’t brought it up.  She hadn’t even asked about her dress.  When she had been taken, it was hanging on a hook behind the closet door.  Daryl had moved it to the closet in the room that used to be his and shut the door when he couldn’t stand to look at it anymore.  But she didn’t know...and she hadn’t asked.

 

Angel snuggled closer to Daryl and muttered something cheese fries and bowling in her sleep.  He chuckled and rolled his eyes.  Sometimes he wished he could see whatever weirdness she was chatting about.  Reaching over, her flicked off the lamp and pulled the blankets over them.  He was exhausted as well.

 

They slept soundly all night, and in the morning, Daryl woke to the sound of the shower.  Smiling he thought to himself,  _ ‘Why don’t I go see if she needs help washin’ her back….or her front…’   _  Walking down the hall naked, he pushed open the bathroom door, but wasn’t prepared for what he found.  Angel was in the shower all right, but she was laying on the floor, curled into a ball, crying.  Without hesitation he jumped in the shower and took her in his arms.  

“Angel!  Babygirl, are you ok?  What happened?  Did ya slip?”

Angel just clung to him and continued to weep.  Afraid to move her in case she was hurt, he sat on the floor with her in his arms, rocking her gently.

“I got ya, Angel.  I’m here.”

They sat there for a while, until the water started to get cold and Angel started to shiver.  Daryl sat her gently on the floor so he could get up and turn off the water, then stood looking down at her, unsure of what to do.   
“Baby,” he said, kneeling in front of her, “are ya hurt?  Do I need ta carry ya?  Should I get Rosita?”

She let out a pathetic little sniffle and looked at him, his eyes full of concern.  “I’m not hurt.  I just...ugh.”  Angel made a move to stand and Daryl helped her up and out of the shower, wrapping a towel around her before getting one for himself.  

She really did look pitiful, hunched over against the bathroom sink, with a towel draped over her shoulders and her hair dripping miserably around her.  Daryl wrapped a towel around his waist, then made his way over to her, drying her body gently, and towel drying her hair.  Even when she was dry, she didn’t stop shivering, so he simply picked her up in his arms and carried her back to bed, climbing in naked next to her to warm her up.  She curled up against his chest, and he gently stroked her back.  

Angel fell back asleep and Daryl jumped up and took a quick real shower.  He was climbing back into bed with her when she stirred. “Daryl?”   
“Right here, babygirl,” he told her as he slid back into bed next to her.

“I’m sorry I scared you.”   
“What was going on in there?  Why were ya cryin’?”   
Angel took a deep breath.  “I’m not really sure.  It was kinda like everything hit me at once.  And I’m still a little scared of them coming back.”

Daryl wrapped his arms around her.  “Anyone who wants ya is gonna have ta go through me first, girl.  Don’t ya doubt that.”   
“I don’t, but I sure as hell don’t want to endanger you.”   
  


She rolled over on her side so her back was against him, and he pressed up against her.  Giggling, she asked, “Is that an anaconda in our bed or are you just happy to see me, Mr. Dixon?”

“I am DEFINITELY happy ta see ya.  Every damn day, girl,” he whispered in her ear, making her shiver.

“We have unfinished business…” she told him, and pulled the small bottle of lube out of the drawer, placing it on her bedside table.   Daryl heaved a sigh.  She turned around and looked at him.  “I’m sorry, I was under the impression that your hard dick against my ass meant you wanted me.”   
“Dammit, girl!  I want ya all the time, ya know that!  If ya need me ta fuck ya up the ass ta make ya feel normal, then fine!” he shouted, throwing off the covers, rolling over onto his back, and throwing his arm across his eyes.  “Knock yaself out!”  Daryl felt bad for being angry, but he wanted her to want him for HIM, not because she had to cancel out what someone else did.

It was quiet, then she growled out, “Fuck you, Daryl Dixon,” and climbed out of the bed.  He could hear her rummaging through her dresser drawers for clothes, and he got out of bed.

“Where ya think ya goin?”   
“Away from you.  I don’t need this,” she hissed angrily, stepping into a pair of panties.

“Ya ain’t goin’ nowhere,” he told her.   
“The hell I’m not!” she left the bedroom and walked down the hall to the bathroom, and he followed.

“Ya ain’t leavin’, girl.”   
“Fuck you, Daryl.  You don’t want me?  I’ll find someone who does!”

“It ain’t about that, girl, and ya know it!  Now quit actin’ like a spoiled brat!”

Angel wasn’t even listening to him anymore, pulling her hair into a ponytail and heading back to the bedroom to finish dressing.

“Dammit, Angel!  Ya ain’t leavin’ this house!  Not till we talk about whatever the fuck is goin’ on with you!”

“You’re the one who doesn’t want to fuck me.  You have the problem.  I’ll go see if Spencer is still interested,” she grabbed her boots and tried to head out of the room.

Daryl the growled, “The hell you will,” and grabbed her arm pulling her roughly back into the bedroom and slamming the door.  He stood in front of it so she couldn’t leave, still naked and still hard.  “Take off ya clothes,” he said in a low voice.

Angel crossed her arms.  “No.”

“Ain’t gonna tell ya again girl.  Take it all off, or I’ll take it off for ya.  I ain’t playin’.”  He had an angry look she’d never seen before, and it scared her.  She hesitated.

He was on her in less than a second, literally tearing the shirt off of her body.  “Ok, ok!  I’ll take it off!  Just stop!”  He took a step back, and Angel took off her clothes, leaving them in a pile on the floor.  

Moving quickly, Daryl grabbed her, spun her around and held her against him, so her back was to him.  He whispered in her ear, “This what ya want, little girl?  Want me to fuck ya ass hard?  Huh?”  She didn’t say anything, and he snapped, “Answer me, girl!”

Angel took a breath, and barely whispered, “Yes.”   
Daryl released her and gave her a shove, telling her, “Hands against the wall.  Now!”

Angel jumped and stepped quickly to the wall, pressing her entire body against it.  Daryl grabbed her ponytail and made her walk backwards, then slapped her palms against the wall, growling roughly in her ear, “I said ya hands, not ya whole damn body.”  He hands were against the wall, with her body stretched out, bent over.  She started to turn her head to look at him, but he snapped, “Eyes front, god dammit!  Don’t fuckin’ test me girl, not now.”  He took a deep breath and pressed his body against hers.  He said softly, “This ya one chance.  Ya can walk out and stop this.  Once I get started, I ain’t stoppin’.  Walk away, Angel,” he told her, backing away from her body.  Angel didn’t move a muscle, and softly said, “No.”

 

He pulled back his hand and smacked her ass, HARD.  She cried out, but didn’t move.  He did it again and again, until her cheeks were bright red and her legs were trembling.  She was starting to break out in a sweat and was breathing heavily.  Daryl’s cock was starting to ache from being hard and without release for so long.  He pressed himself against her and asked her, “How ya doin’ there, little girl?”  Angel managed to breathe out, “Good...real good...”

 

He stepped away from her and grabbed the lube off of the table.  He coated a finger with it and approached her, gently sliding it down her crack.  She arched her back.  He knelt down behind her and spread her cheeks with one big hand, pressing his lubed finger against her little rosebud.  Her body resisted, and he said softly, “Easy, babygirl, take a breath.”  She did and he eased his finger inside her, pushing it all the way in.  Daryl gently worked his finger in and out for a few minutes, then pulled it out.  Angel whimpered at the loss, and he said in her ear, “Don’t ya worry, we ain’t done.  Not by a long shot, ya little brat.”

 

He lubed up two fingers, kneeled behind her, and repeated the process.  He worked them gently at first, then a bit more roughly, as she pushed back against him.  Pulling his fingers out, he backed away and sat on the bed.  He could tell that she wanted to turn and look at him, but didn’t dare take her eyes off the wall in front of her.  He lubed up his cock and stroked it while he looked at her.  Damn she was gorgeous.  “Turn around,” he ordered.

 

Angel turned and faced him, taking in his hard, lubed up unit.  He stood up and walked over to her, standing in her personal space, and leaning down until he was nose to nose with her.  “Good thing ya so obedient,” he growled.  “I‘d hate to have ta spank ya more.”  Angel still felt like her ass was on fire, so she was grateful.   He straightened and took her by the hand, leading her back to the bed.  Daryl sat on the edge, and turned her back to him.  “It’s ya show now, girl,” he told her, leaning back on his elbows.

 

Angel backed over him, straddling his lap.  Reaching back, she positioned his cock up against her asshole.  Daryl sat up and spread her open for him, and she slowly pushed down on him.  Her head was turned to the side, and Daryl was able to watch her face for any sign of distress.  Angel got him buried halfway inside her and stopped, taking a few deep breaths. Daryl ran a hand down her back, telling her, “Ya doin’ real good, babygirl.  Real good.”  After a moment, she lowered herself fully on him.  She breathed out, “Oh, Daryl,” and he wrapped his arms around her, telling her, “I’m here, girl.”

 

Angel started to slowly pump herself up and down his cock, reminding him of just how good it felt.  She placed her hands on his knees for leverage as he kissed the marred skin of her back.  She had kept up a good rhythm, and suddenly she stilled.  Her legs had been outside of his, and one at a time, she moved them in between his, tightening herself almost painfully around his cock.  Daryl put his hands on her hips and made her speed up on his cock, and one hand  reached around her waist and down into the tiny space between her legs as he rubbed her clit.  Daryl gritted his teeth and she rode him with her tight ass.  “Gotta go faster, girl,” he growled, feeling the tightening in his gut.  Obediently, Angel sped up moaning his name over and over.  He was doing his best to hold back his own release, still rubbing her clit.  “Come on, girl, I’d better hear it!” he warned her.

 

Suddenly, Angel pressed herself down on him, crying out, “I’m cumming, Daryl!”  Her clit quivered under his fingers, her ass clamped down on his cock, and her body began to spasm.  He grabbed onto her tightly and released a primal growl against her back and he unloaded inside of her.  When he was done, he gently pushed her off of him, leaning her over the end of the bed.  Spreading her wide with his hands, he told her, “Push it out girl, all of it!” She tried to protest and he gave a hard smack to her already bruised ass.  “Now, Angel!”  She pushed until she felt his hot cum running out of her asshole and down her thighs.  “That’s it, baby, every last drop…” she felt his tongue running up her legs, lapping it up.  After a minute, he pressed his body against hers, resting his head between her shoulder blades and asking, “Are you ok?”   
“Yeah.”   
“I’m sorry, babygirl.  I don’t know what happened...” he had tears in his voice and she turned around.  He couldn't meet her eyes, as he said, “I didn’t meant ta be so rough.  Ya prolly had enough of that ta last ya forever, and then I go and be an asshole…” he trailed off.

 

Angel took his face in one of her hands.  The other hand wrapped around the ring on the cord around his neck.  She said softly to him, “Marry me.”


	61. Chapter 61

The look on Daryl’s face was priceless.  He managed to stammer out, “Wh-What?  What did you just say?”   
“I said ‘marry me’.  I want to marry you, Daryl.  I want you to put this ring back on my finger, where it belongs.”

Daryl just looked at her.  He couldn’t believe his ears.  He yanked the cord off his neck and took the ring off.  Looking at her, he said softly, “Ya sure about this?”   
“Yes.”

Sliding the ring onto her finger he said, “Angela Beecher, will ya marry me?”

Angel gave him a big smile and said, “Yes, I will marry you!”

 

Daryl let out a big whoop, jumped up, picked her up and started spinning her around as she laughed.  He stopped and hugged her tightly to him until she managed to say, “Daryl, you’re kinda suffocating me…”  He eased up but didn’t let her go.  For the longest time he just stood there, holding her.  Something that not so long ago he’d wondered if he would ever do again.  He whispered in her ear, “We was just meant ta be girl.  Ya came back ta me.  It’s meant ta be.”

Angel couldn’t agree more.

 

“I need a new dress.  I guess you threw out the old one, yeah?” Angel asked him.  Daryl gave a small smile.

“Nah, I couldn’t.  Still got it, but when ya disappeared, I couldn’t stand ta see it.”  He took her hand and walked her to the other bedroom and opened the closet door.  “I kept it, though.  For when ya came back.”

Angel took one look at her dress and started to cry.  She fell to her knees and was just bawling.

“Angel, baby, what’s wrong?” he shut the closet door, unsure if it was the dress setting her off.  He knelt down beside her, and she threw herself at him.

“You never gave up!  You really didn’t!  You waited and watched and tried to find me!  Why?”   
“What do ya mean ‘why’?  Because I love ya, dammit!”   
“Didn’t you ever think that maybe you should be with someone else?  That you might never find me?”   
“NO!  I knew ya were alive out there and wantin’ ta come home!  I could feel it!”  He took her face in his hands.  “Look at me girl.  I ain’t never loved no one and never had no one love me.  Until you came along.  Ya came along and ya made me feel all mixed up and crazy.  And damn it if I didn’t like the way it felt.  Ya came outta nowhere and ya blindsided me.  Never thought I’d have a woman of my own, and now I can’t imagine my life without ya.  I would have looked for ya ta my dyin’ day.  Weren’t gonna believe ya were gone unless I saw ya damn corpse with my own two eyes.  It’s like ya the air that I breathe.  There ain’t never gonna be no one else, Angel.  It was always YOU.  I never thought that the half naked girl I found in the woods would get under my skin like ya did.  But damn, I’m glad ya did.  Every day, I’m glad me and Aaron decided to go on foot.  I’m glad I thought I heard a deer, where it was you runnin’ through the brush.  I can still see ya lookin’ up at me with them big scared eyes, ya weren’t sure if I was gonna help ya or hurt ya.  I’m so glad ya decided ta come back here.  I don’t know what I done to deserve a girl like ya, hell, I DON’T deserve ya and I know it.  But I never gave up on ya.  I never will.”

 

Angel was clutching onto him, “Oh god, Daryl, oh god…” 

“I got ya, babygirl.  Ain’t never lettin’ ya go.  Never.”

They both had a good cry.   Then Angel started giggling.  Daryl asked her, “What’s so funny?”

“We are!  Naked and crying because of a damn wedding dress shut up in a closet!”  Daryl’s lips quirked up in a smile.  Then he started to giggle, which was exceptionally cute, then he just started laughing with her.   
“Well,” he told her, “since we’ve both proposed and both accepted, why don’t we celebrate our engagement?”

Before she could answer, he had thrown her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and was heading back down the hall to their bedroom.  His adorable ass was right in her face, so she bit it.  He yelped and jumped and told her, “Oh you’re going to pay for that one little girl.”   
“Looking forward to it!”

 

He sat her down on the bed and looked at her for a moment.  Getting a smile on his face, he told her, “Get dressed,” and turned, gathering his own clothes.  Angel was confused.  “Get dressed?  You want me to put clothes ON?”   
Daryl laughed.  “Yep.  Gotta show ya something.  Ya up for a ride?”  

Angel hadn’t been on his motorcycle since he’d brought her to Alexandria.  “Hell yes!”

 

They got dressed, and strapped on some weapons, and headed out of the gates.  “Where are you taking me?” she asked.

“You’ll see,” was his only reply.

They drove for about 45 minutes, easily swerving past the few walkers they saw.  There was no sense in wasting bullets or energy on them.  They crested a somewhat steep hill, and Daryl paused at the top, then drove to a clearing.  It was amazing.  A few seasonal apple trees, and a small pond.  They area was nothing but flat as far as the eye could see.  Nobody could sneak up on them.  Daryl pulled up under one of the trees and killed the engine, and they both climbed off.  Angel walked over to the pond and dipped her fingers in, before turning to face him.  “What is this place?”   
“As far as I can guess, it’s some pasture land belongin’ to one of them farms we passed.  I found it when I was lookin’ for ya.”  He walked over and took her hand.  “C’mere, wanna show ya somethin’...”

He crouched down by one of the trees.  There, by the base, almost invisible, were the letters “DD”.     
“I kept findin’ trees with an ‘A’ scratched inta them.  I knew it was you.  So wherever I went, I put my initials.  Hoped that if ya came the same way, ya’d see it, and know I was lookin’.  Marked a buncha trees I saw ya’d been at.  Wanted ya ta know I didn’t forget ya.  I was tryin’ ta find ya.”

Angel ran her fingers over his initials.  Daryl got a blanket and spread it on the ground.  “Figured we could get out from behind the walls for a bit.  Bein’ here, no one can sneak up on us.”

Angel smiled and cuddled up against him on the blanket and they silently looked out at the water.  It was almost as if the world was normal.  Daryl had his arms around her, gently stroking her back, and he lulled her right to sleep.

She woke to a sharp pain in her side.  Wrapping her arms around herself, she said, “Daryl, did you elbow me?”

A familiar voice said, “No, I kicked ya!”  Angel looked up, not believing her ears or her eyes.  Jacob and Emma stood above her.

“No!” she cried out.  She rolled towards Daryl, crying out his name.  He lay next to her, a knife sticking out of his head.  “No! No! No!” she cried out.  Jacob yanked her up roughly by her arm.  “Ya cost me 5 men, ya little bitch.  I’m gonna take it outta yer ass!”  Emma laughed gleefully.  Jacob grabbed Angel by her hair and put a knife close to her eye.  “Maybe I’ll just stab out both yer eyes and leave ya here!”  He pinned her against a tree and Emma held down her arms.  He started moving the knife toward her eye, and she let out a bloodcurdling scream.

 

“Dammit girl, ya gotta wake up!”

Angel’s eyes flew open.  Daryl was on top of her, pinning her down, looking pretty damn terrified.  She locked eyes with him and said, “Daryl, get the fuck off me, right now!”

He could tell that she was finally awake, so he rolled off of her, and she jumped up.  She walked a few paces away and stood with her back to Daryl, looking around.  A nightmare.  It was just a nightmare.

Behind her, Daryl softly said, “Babygirl?  Ya alright?”

She turned and ran into his arms.  “I had a bad dream,” she mumbled into his chest.

“Yeah, I gathered that.  About what?”

“I dreamed Emma and Jacob found me here.”   
“Where the hell was I?”

“You were laying next to me.  You were dead.  They...they stabbed you in the head, and Jacob was gonna stab out my eyes and leave me here,” she sobbed.

“Alright baby, ok.  Calm down now,” Daryl told her as he held her and rubbed her back.  “Ain’t no one can sneak up on me, ya know that.  And ya dozed off, but I didn’t.  Wouldn’t leave us unprotected like that.”  

She took and breath and he chuckled and said, “But it does look like we got some company.  Take a look at that.”

Angel raised her eyes and followed Daryl’s gaze to the far end of the pond.  Two adult horses were wading in for a drink while a baby drank from the shore, and all three eyed Daryl and Angel warily.  They were pretty shaggy and dirty, but looked healthy otherwise.  “Oh wow, Daryl.  It’s a little horse family.  I wonder where they came from?”

“Musta lived on the farm.  They look ok though.  Pasture land is still good.  They prolly eat some of the apples here, and the pond gives ‘em plenty of water.  I’d say they found themselves a good place.  I’m bettin’ they run from those things if they see any.  Look at how they watch us.  Plus, mom and dad, are standin’ between us and junior.  Ready ta protect their little one.”

“They’ve gone wild.”   
“Yep, looks like.  We should head out before it gets too dark.”   
“Can we come back again?”   
Daryl smiled at her.  “Yeah.  We can come back whenever ya want.  It’ll be our little secret spot.”  

They climbed onto his motorcycle and drove back to Alexandria.  As they pulled into the gates, they saw Rick.  He smiled and said, “Where did you two disappear too?”  Daryl told him, “We just went for a ride.”

 

They headed to the house and Daryl cooked dinner for them, as always.  Angel had to work early in the fields finishing bringing in some crops, so they went to bed early.  Daryl slept with Angel held to his side, like they always had.

 

The next morning he walked her to the fields and said good morning to Red.  Red, ever observant, said, “Well that’s a very pretty ring yer wearin’ Miss Angel…”  She and Daryl just smiled.  They hadn’t made any sort of official announcement or set an actual date, but they weren’t worried.

 

Just a few miles away, Jacob and Emma were preparing.  They had several guns and a high powered rifle for each of them.  Jacob had a bullhorn they’d scrounged from an old police car, he said it would come in handy for this.   Jacob was going after Angel.  Emma was going after Daryl.  Jacob knew there was a chance that they might not get out alive, but he planned on at least taking that bitch doctor down with him.  She had ruined everything.  Emma was stupid enough to think Daryl would willingly be with her, and that they would be able to stay in Alexandria.  They got as close as they could to the town without being seen.

 

Angel had helped finish bringing in the harvest, and now the field workers were working indoors jarring and canning.  It was a hard process, even with the little assembly line they had set up.  There was just so much to do.  A few days in, Angel cut herself on the pieces of a broken jar that had fallen on the floor.  It was a pretty bad gash, so off to the clinic she went to see Rosita.

 

“Knock, knock, I’m bleeding,” Angel said cheerfully as she walked in.  Rosita looked up from a medical text she was studying.

“Holy crap, girl, what did you do to yourself?”   
“Broken jar.  It won’t stop bleeding, I think you’re gonna get to stitch me up.”   
  
Rosita unwrapped the towel Angel had used in an attempt to staunch the bleeding.  She was definitely going to need stitches.  Angel sat herself on the gurney, and Rosita shot some novocaine into her hand.  While they waited for it to take full effect, they chatted.

“So I see you’re back at Daryl’s place,” Rosita said with a smile.  “How’s that working out for you two?”   
“Oh Rosita, it’s practically like it was before!  I’m so happy to be home.”

Rosita started to clean Angel’s wound, and exclaimed, “Angel!  You’re wearing your ring again!  Does that mean what I think it does?”   
Angel gave her a big smile and said, “We’re going to be married!  I asked him to marry me and then he asked me!”   
Rosita let out a big whoop, and asked her when the date was.  “Well,” Angel started, “we haven’t exactly set a date yet.  Everything is so busy right now, bringing in the harvest and getting everything canned and jarred for everyone.  I kind of want to wait until it slows down a bit.  Maybe in the next week or two.  Daryl still had my dress at the house, Ro.  He really didn’t give up on me.”

“No he didn’t.  He never stopped looking for you.  I’ll be honest, some of us weren’t sure if you were alive, and seeing him go out day after day was just heartbreaking.  But he believed you were out there trying to get away and trying to find your way home.  And he was right.  And I’m sorry for those of us who thought you were gone forever.  Daryl knew you were tougher than that.”

“Ro, you don’t have to apologize for that.  I probably would have thought the same thing.”

 

Rosita started to stitch Angel’s hand.  “What are you going to do when the harvest is done?  Come back to work in the clinic?”   
“Hm.  Maybe.  If I’m needed.  You seem to be handling things pretty well here.  And I saw you studying.  Maybe I’ll just do patrols and shifts in the tower.  And adjust to married life.  I’ll always be here to help you Rosita.  But maybe we should start calling you Doctor Espinoza.”

Rosita looked up from the stitches.  “Oh, I’ll never be that good.  You went to school for this!”

“Going to school is mostly remembering facts.  You’ve got that down.  Seriously, if there’s a major crisis or serious surgery to be done, I will be here to help you.  But you got this.  After all,” Angel continued holding up her hand, “look at that stitch job.  That’s pretty damn good.”

 

Suddenly they heard a strange sound,  like a “whoop” from a siren.  Angel said, “What the hell was that?”  She and Rosita ran to the clinic window.  They couldn’t see anything, but then Angel heard a voice that made her blood run cold.  Over some sort of loudspeaker, they heard, “Residents!  Bring out the bitch doctor or this baby and kid die!  You have exactly one minute!”

 

“Rosita,” Angel said in a shaky voice.  “That’s Jacob.  He’s back.”


	62. Chapter 62

Enid and Carl had been playing with Judith near the gates.  She was taking her first steps and they wanted to show someone, so they went to Spencer, and he watched as she toddled on shaky legs between Carl and Enid.  She fell on her little diapered butt a few times, and would just giggle and get back up.  “Look at her go!”  Spencer said enthusiastically.  “She’ll be running  marathons in no time!”

Just then Spencer’s walkie crackled to life.  “Got a gentleman with a rifle coming to the gates, looks like he’s hurt,” said the woman named Jeanne in the tower.  She had arrived not too long ago with her husband and teenage daughter, who Ron was fond of.   
Spencer peeked out and saw an older man limping up the road.  “Please,” he called out weakly, “please help me.”

Spencer opened the gate for the man.  “You can come in, but you have to leave your gun, at least for now,” Spencer told him.  Turning to Carl, he said, “Could you go get my mom?”  But Carl was looking at Enid.  She had picked Judith up when the man entered, but was standing stock still, pale and shaking.  Carl said softly, “Enid?”

The man started taking off his high powered rifle.  Enid suddenly cried out, “I know that voice!  He’s the one who took Doc Angel!”   
Instead of taking the rifle off, he pulled out a handgun, pointed it at Enid and the baby, then growled over his shoulder, “Get in here, woman!”  In sauntered Emma, she had a rifle on her back, and a gun in her hand, and she pushed the barrel against Enid’s head.  Carl shouted, “Leave her alone!” and started toward them, but Emma cocked the gun.  Jacob took the baby from Enid and held her in front of him, his gun against her head.  Emma handed Jacob the bullhorn they’d found.  He pressed the siren sound, and made an announcement.   
  
“Residents!  Bring out the bitch doctor or this baby and kid die!  You have exactly one minute!”

 

Rosita and Angel were in the clinic.  Rosita squared her shoulders and headed for the door.  “If they want the doctor, here I come.”  Angel told her, “Rosita, no!”  Rosita turned to her and said, “If I go, you can get away.  We can just say that you never made it back.”   
“Ro, he’ll kill everyone here if he has to.  This is my fight.  He’s here for me.”  She tucked a gun into the back of her pants and headed out with no visible weapon.  She hoped she could stop whatever he was up to.

 

Jacob barked out over the bullhorn, “Ya got 30 seconds!”  Just as Angel rounded the corner.  Her eyes met his, and her fears crept back, but she kept her face blank.  He got a sick smile on his face and Emma smirked.  When she got about halfway to where he was, Daryl came flying out of the house, yelling, “NO!  NO!  YA STAY AWAY FROM MY WIFE YA SICK BASTARD!”  Angel tried to calm Daryl, “Baby, baby, it’s ok.  LOOK AT ME!”  Daryl looked at her and she repeated very softly, “It’s ok.”  He could see she was up to something.

Emma screeched out, “What?  What did’ja call her?” her face visibly upset.  Angel walked closer and said, “His wife.  We’re married.”

“No!” Emma yelled.  “You can’t be!  You know how many guys she fucked?  The guys in the group fucked her ALL THE TIME!  She’s a whore!”    
Daryl growled at her, “Watch how ya talk about my wife, ya tramp.”

 

Angel kept approaching until Jacob told her to stop.  “That’s close enough, ya crafty bitch.”

She took a breath and said, “Come on, now.  This is between you and me.  Let the girl and the baby go.  I’ll go willingly.  I won’t fight you.” If she could get the kids away, she could take a shot at him.  A small crowd of people was gathering behind Angel as people came out to see what was happening.  But nobody could draw a weapon.  Jacob still had little Judith in front of him with a gun pressed to her downy temple, and Emma had one pressed against Enid’s head.

 

Jacob pretended to think it over.  “Well,” he said, “since ya done killed Tony, I ain’t got much need fer an infant.  But this little girl here,” he said motioning to Enid, “she could be useful.  A man gets tired of the same damn pussy every night.  A nice young girl would be a change.”   
  
“That’s enough!”  Rick roared.  “You let them go right now!”   
“Or what?”  Jacob laughed.

Rick paused and then said, “Do you really think you’ll get out of here alive?”   
Jacob laughed.  “Maybe not, but neither will that bitch.  She killed five of my men, and I plan to take it outta her ass.”   
  
Angel saw movement in house behind where Emma and Jacob were standing.  It was Harold, the fish hook guy.  Angel saw him duck back behind the house.  She knew he was armed, everybody was.  He was also a terrible shot.  And she knew he wouldn’t risk hitting the kids, or the rest of the town that was in his path.  But all Angel needed was a distraction.  Just for one second.  Just long enough to grab Judith.  She knew Enid would be able to get away from Emma if Emma would lower the gun or even turn away.  With all her might she thought,  _ ‘Shoot in the air Harold, that’s all I need.’ _

 

“Get on your knees, bitch,” Jacob sneered.  He then threw something on the dirt in front of her.  Her eyes got wide, she shook her head, and said, “No...please….”   
“Put it on like the dog you are!” he pushed the gun harder against the baby’s head and Judith began to cry.

It was a red, spiked dog collar and a leash.  The one thing she hadn’t talked about.  The one humiliation she couldn’t come to terms with.  They would put it on her and make her crawl around the camp like a dog for entertainment.  Make her do things like sit up, beg, and roll over for the promise of food that she rarely, if ever got.  Memories of being fucked from behind by one guy and having to suck off another while they held her in place with the damn leash.  Getting choked out with that damn collar, only to regain consciousness with one of them on top of her.  It was a tangible memory of everything that she wanted to forget.   
“Put.  It.  On.  NOW!”   
Angel flinched and picked it up.  She kept her eyes on the ground as she fastened it around her neck, full of shame.

“Ya were such a good little doggy once ya learned yer place.”   
  
Angel raised her eyes and saw Harold.  He stepped out from behind the house.  Angel shifted her eyes to Enid, then shot her eyes to the right twice, letting her know which way to go.  Harold was going to come through.

 

He had hidden behind the house unsure of what to do.  He couldn’t risk firing at a crowd, even if he had been a good shot, which he wasn’t.  Jeanne up in the tower was practically a sniper, but even she didn’t want to risk hitting Judith or Enid.  Harold thought and thought.  He decided that maybe if he fired some shots in the air, it would be enough of a distraction for the kids to get to safety.  His heart broke for the Doctor when he saw that man make her put on a dog collar.  He needed to stop this. 

 

Jacob walked toward Angel to pick up the leash, and said, “Good little doggie.  Why don’t we show yer friends some of the tricks ya can do?”  Emma started laughing, and said, “Make her roll over!”

 

Jacob bent over to pick up the leash with the hand that held the gun.  It was no longer trained on the baby.     
Harold fired several shots in the air.

 

And all Hell broke loose.


	63. Chapter 63

When Jacob reached for the leash, the gun was off of Judith.  Harold shot off his gun, spooking Jacob.  Angel reached up, grabbed little Judith right out of his grasp, and rolled a few times holding her tightly.  Judith was sure to get scratches and cuts, but those were better than a gunshots.  She barrel rolled away from Jacob, then covered the baby’s body with her own, making herself a human shield.  A bullet grazed her left shoulder.  There were screams and gunshots and hollering.  Angel raised her head and looked over her shoulder.  Rick had Emma on the ground with her arms behind her back.  Jacob was running for the gates.   
_ ‘You don’t get away you bastard,’   _ Angel thought.  She pulled her gun from her waistband, aimed, and shot him in the back of one knee.  He went down, gun clattering out of his reach.  Harold, who had smartly hit the deck after firing his shots, grabbed the gun, and held it on Jacob shouting, “Don’t even move, asshole!”

 

Daryl ran to Jacob and took off the high powered rifle he had, kicking him in the ribs a few times for good measure.  Rick had gotten both Emma’s gun and rifle, and she was protesting loudly.  “Get offa me!  You can’t treat me like this!”  Enid said, “Shut up, you stupid bitch!” shocking everyone.

 

Once they had Emma secured, Rick ran over to Judith, who was crying after all the commotion.  “I’m sorry, Rick, she’s got some cuts and scrapes-” Angel started but Rick cut her off.  “She’s alive and ok, that’s all I care about.”

 

Angel got up and made her way to Jacob.  Both he and Emma had been searched and their weapons confiscated.  Angel knew that Jacob carried zip ties.  She reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful.  She was pissed off and was going to take care of this NOW.  She zip tied his hands behind his back and his ankles together.  Walking over to Emma, she did the same, telling Abraham, “Get me the car.”  She was so cold and frightening, that he quickly drove it over with no questions, handing her the keys.  “We have any barbed wire left?” she asked.  Abraham said, “Yeah, a bit.”   
“Would you bring it here, please, as well as a nail gun and wire cutters.  Gloves, too.”   
Everyone was watching, but nobody moved.  Angel opened the trunk of the car, hoisted Emma over her shoulder and dropped her in unceremoniously.  Emma started in.  “Ouch!  What are you doing?  I demand an answer!”  Angel answered by way of a right hook.  Emma wasn’t unconscious, but she shut up.  She then walked over to Jacob, and showing more strength than anyone thought possible, hoisted him up over her shoulder, and dumped him into the trunk with Emma and shut the lid.  Abraham came back with the coil of barbed wire and other items and she threw it all in the backseat, then took off the leash and collar, and threw that in as well.  Walking over to Harold, she held out her hand silently, and he handed over Jacob’s gun.  Daryl walked over while she was checking the cartridge.

“What’cha doin’, girl?”   
“Just taking out the trash.”   
  


Deanna finally spoke.  “Doctor Beecher, what do you think you’re doing?”   
“I’m taking care of them once and for all.”

“I can’t allow that.”   
“I’m not asking for your permission, lady.”   
“We need to have a meeting about this.”

Angel flipped her lid.  “Like last time?  When you ‘banished’ that bitch?  They drove her blindfolded almost 3 hours, and she found her way back!  She will always try to come back!  And he will just find more animals like himself to join him!  How will we protect ourselves if they show up at our gates 50 strong with guns blazing?  Tell me that, Deanna!”

“We can keep them prisoner here.  We can-”   
“Really?  You’ll lock them in a nice house here where they are nice and safe from walkers, and the rest of the residents work to clothe, feed, and protect them?  That was Emma’s problem in the beginning!  She didn’t want to work, and now you want to cater to her?  Well guess what?  *I* won’t allow it!”

Deanna turned to Rick, “Can you stop her?”   
Before Rick could answer Angel said, “I’ll make this real easy.  If anyone tries to stop me, I’ll shoot them.  Even you, Rick.  I sure won’t kill you, but I’ll keep you from stopping me.”   
Rick looked to Deanna and said, “I’m pretty much in agreement with Angel.”

Angel looked at Deanna and said, “You want to stop me?  Shoot me.  Shoot to kill, because I WILL NOT let this go.”

Deanna knew she couldn’t shoot Angel.  “Go.  But rest assured, I do not agree with this.”   
“Noted.  If you’d like to banish me when I get back, go ahead.”  She started to get in the car, and Daryl came over.  She locked the doors.  “Angel, open the doors.”   
She started the car and headed toward the gate and Spencer opened it.  Daryl walked alongside the car.  “I ain’t playin’ girl!  Open the damn door!”  Angel ignored him and started to drive through the gates.  “Angel!  God dammit!  Ya don’t gotta do this...”  She drove away.  This was something she did have to do, and she had to do it herself.

 

Angel drove for about an hour.  She didn’t have a destination in mind, really.  She took some extra bumpy back roads, smiling to herself when she heard them tumbling around in the trunk.  She finally stopped in a clearing in a wooded area.  Perfect.  She turned off the ignition, went back and opened the trunk, stepping back and pulling her gun as she did so, just in case they had gotten loose, but they hadn’t.  They looked up at her.  They were both afraid, and that made her happy.  Now they would know how it felt to be victimized.

She pulled them out.  Jacob was first.  She carried him over to a tree and propped him up.  He stood putting his weight on his good leg and scowling at her.  “Whatta ya up to, girl?”  She didn’t answer, just put on the work gloves.  She got the coil of barbed wire, and before he knew what was happening, she was winding it around him and the tree, effectively trapping and pinning him, as well as stabbing him with non-lethal pokes here and there.  “Ouch!  Dammit girl!  What the hell are you up to?”  When he was secure, she used the nail gun to attach the barbed wire to the tree, and cut it with the wire cutters.

Emma had been watching this from the trunk and started to panic.  When Angel turned and headed  for her, she started to thrash around.  She couldn’t thrash much due to the zip ties.  Angel simply took out her knife and slashed Emma’s arm.  Emma cried out in pain, and stilled enough for Angel to pick her up and prop her against the tree and start winding the barbed wire around her. Emma really freaked out when Angel started skipping around the tree, singing, “Here we go round the maypole, the maypole, the maypole!  Here we go round the maypole, let the ribbons fly!”

Emma was crying and said, “My god, you’re crazy!”  Once Emma was secured to the tree, Angel got nose to nose with her, and said softly, “I wasn’t crazy until you all took me.”  Heading back to the car, she got the collar and leash and attached it firmly to Jacob’s neck.  She began to giggle, and said, “Oh how I wish I had camera!”

Emma decided to try one other thing.  “You know Angel, I know we didn’t get along, but going after Alexandria?  That was all Jacob’s idea!  I HAD to go along with him!  You saw how he treated me!  He threatened me!”

Ignoring her, Angel asked, “So, Emma.  Whatever happened to Brian?”

Emma was silent, and Jacob said, “Who is Brian?”   
Angel told him, “The guy she was thrown out with.  She tried to get him to kill me, and it didn’t work out.  They were both tossed out.”   
“What did he look like?”   
“About your height, brown hair, brown eyes.  Was kind of hating her when they got thrown out by what I was told.”   
Jacob sighed, and said, “Emma, ya really are just a whore ain’t ya?  I shot him.  We saw him getting ready to kill her, so I shot him.  Emma surrendered, and she’s been with us ever since.  Fer the record, not that it matters, I never would have known about Alexandria if it weren’t fer Emma.  She told us all about it.  We had plans to take it and sent out scouts.  She told us about the tower and the guards and everything else.”   
“He’s lying!” Emma exclaimed.

Jacob turned his head to her.  “Shut up ya dumb slut!  She’s gonna kill us anyhow!”

 

Angel smiled.  “Yep.  Today you both die.”   
Emma gulped, “You're just gonna leave us out here tied to the trees?”   
“No, not at all!  I’m going to call some walkers and have them eat you alive.  And I’m going to watch to make sure.”  She walked over to Emma’s arm and dragged her hands through the blood running down it and rubbed it all over Emma’s face.  Emma started in, “You can’t do this!  It’s...it’s inhuman!”   
“Yep.  And you should know a lot about inhumanity.”

Angel walked over to the car, opened the door,  and beeped the horn long and loud twice.  Then she scampered up a tree and waited.  She didn’t have to wait long.

 

Daryl was driving along the road on his motorcycle.  Where the hell had Angel gone?  He passed by a side dirt road, glancing at it. He hit the brakes and backed up.  Tire tracks in the road.  They looked recent.  Had she gone this way?  He decided to follow the tracks.

 

Angel was hidden from the walkers up in the tree.  Soon after she got up there, the moaning and shuffling started.  Jacob was silent, but Emma started screaming, “No!  No!  You can’t do this!”

Jacob growled, “Shut up, woman!  You’ll only bring more!  I should have killed ya long ago!”  When the walkers entered the clearing, Emma started screaming, “She’s in the tree!  Go after her!”  It was almost comical.

 

Daryl came to a paved bit of road, and he wasn’t sure which way she had gone.  Then he heard two honks from a car horn, long and steady, in the distance.  He took off in the direction of the sound.

 

Angel sat up in the trees.  She watched as Jacob and Emma were torn apart by a small group of walkers, as she fiddled with a bit of leftover barbed wire.  Once they’d had their fill, they shambled off.  Angel sat up there and continued to watch as Emma and Jacob woke and started growling and snarling, unable to break loose.  She heard a motorcycle in the distance and took out her gun.  She was hidden from the road, and she was sure it was probably Daryl, but she couldn’t be too sure.  The motorcycle pulled off the main road, and she heard footsteps approaching.  Sitting silently in her tree, Angel held her breath until Daryl walked into the clearing.  He saw what was left of Jacob and Emma and ran a hand through his hair.  Then he called out softly, “Angel?  Ya out here?”   
“I’m up here.”   
He looked up as she started to climb out of the tree, and she finally dropped down next to him.  Daryl looked at her while she looked at them.  Silently she walked up and stabbed them both through the head.  Daryl noticed blood on her hands and asked, “Are ya hurt?  Ya didn’t get bit did ya?”

“No, I’m fine.  This is Emma’s blood.  I’m done here.  I’m going home.”  She turned to walk away.

“Angel, wait.  Ya didn’t have ta do this-”   
“Yes I did, Daryl!  I couldn’t stay in Alexandria if they were prisoners!  We could have sent them to Mexico and they would have come back!”   
“Ya didn’t let me finish.  Ya didn’t have ta do this alone.  Angel, ya ain’t never killed a person!”   
“I killed that guy in the woods when you first found me,” she muttered.

“No, ya didn’t.  Ya shot him in the kneecaps and left him there for the walkers, but ya didn’t sit and watch.”   
“I had to be sure.”   
“Ya didn’t need ta see that.  Ya shoulda let me come with.  Ya coulda gone back ta Alexandria.  I woulda stayed and made sure.”   
Angel looked at him.  “You’ve killed people before, haven’t you?”   
“Only when I had ta.  And I ain’t proud of it, neither.”

 

She took one last look at the bodies attached to the trees.  “I want to go home.  By the way, I made you this.”  Without another word she handed him the bit of barbed wire she’d been messing with up in the tree.  She had fashioned it into the shape of a heart.  Walking away, she got in the car.  Daryl was parked just a few yards away.  He put the wire heart in a pack he’d brought.  They got out on the road and headed home.


	64. Chapter 64

Daryl followed Angel home, worried about her well being.  She seemed...distant.  Cold, even.  He hoped she would be alright.  Killing a person changed you.  When they were out there, trying to survive, you had about two seconds to adjust before you moved on.  But in Alexandria…. there was time to dwell.  There was time to feel guilt and anger.  He would have to keep a close eye on her.  He didn’t want her to feel bad.  He wasn’t happy with what she had done, but it HAD to be done, for the safety of everyone in town.  She was the bravest, toughest girl he knew.  And he still loved her.  That hadn’t changed.

 

They rolled into town.  Abraham retrieved the car.  Nobody asked where Jacob or Emma was.  Angel gave Jacob’s gun to Rick to take care of.  Rick told her, “Deanna wants to interview you about everything.”  Angel shrugged her shoulders and said, “It will have to wait until tomorrow.  I’m exhausted.”  Rick just nodded.  Daryl had pulled in but was keeping his distance.  As he walked by, Rick asked, “Everything ok?”   
“No.  Those two ain’t comin’ back, though.  Tell Deanna that Angel don’t feel too good.  She don’t need the stress tonight.”   
“Sure thing.”

 

Daryl dawdled outside for a few minutes before heading in the house.  He walked upstairs and saw the bathroom door ajar.

“Angel?”   
“Yeah?”   
“Can I come in?”   
There was a pause, then she finally said, “Yeah.”   
She had run herself a hot bath and was soaking.  She had scrubbed all traces of Emma’s blood off her.  He saw a large bruise on her left shoulder.  “What’s that?” he asked.

“Nothing.  A bullet grazed me when everything happened.”

Daryl’s face went pale.  “Ya call that nothin’?  Angel, ya almost got shot!”   
“It didn’t even break the skin, and please stop shouting.”

Daryl grabbed a bottle of shampoo off the edge of the tub and flung it at the wall in frustration.  The plastic bottle bounced off the wall and rolled across the floor.

“Goddammit Angel!  What the hell is goin’ on in ya head?  What the hell was ya thinkin’, goin’ off on ya own with them?  What if they got loose and attacked ya when ya opened the trunk?”   
Angel’s voice was flat as she replied, “They didn’t.”

All the fight just went out of Daryl.  It just went.  He couldn’t do it anymore.  He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.  Angel looked up at him and pulled the plug out of the bath.  “Could you grab me a towel?  I didn’t get one.”

He walked over to the cabinet and handed her a towel.  While she dried herself, he twirled his engagement ring around on his finger.  He took a deep breath.

“Babygirl, ya know I love ya.  Would walk to the ends of the earth for ya.  But ya keep shuttin’ me out.”

She looked at him, then wrapped her towel around her and started brushing her hair.  No response.  

He crossed his arms and looked at the floor.  “Maybe...maybe right now we just need ta be apart for a bit.”   
Angel stopped what she was doing and looked at him.  “Are...are you breaking up with me?”   
“No.  But damn it girl!  I done all I can do, and ya just won’t let me in!  No matter what we’re doin’, it don’t matter if I’m balls deep in ya, ya still got me an arm's length away!  Why?  What the fuck was that shit with the dog collar?  Ya said ya told me everything, that ya ain’t got no secrets, and ya lyin’ ta my face!  Ya actin’ like killin’ two people, sittin’ and watchin’ ‘em die, is nothin’!  THAT AIN’T YOU!”

Angel looked at him, twirling his ring again, and looked down at her own.  “You just put this ring back on my finger.  Now you want to end everything?  You know what?  FINE.  Do what you got to do.  I’ll go back to Tara and Denise’s place.”  She took off her ring, put it on the bathroom counter and walked into the bedroom.

God dammit.  His plan was backfiring.  He just wanted her to fight.  For him.  For herself.  For anything.  She had always fought, but now, whenever he pushed or challenged her, she just walked away.  She was just...giving up.  He picked her ring up off the counter and followed her into the bedroom.  She had gotten dressed and was very calmly taking her clothes out of the drawers and putting them into a laundry basket.  She went back in the bathroom for her toothbrush and hairbrush and tossed them on top.  She opened the drawer that held the few things she brought from her tree house: her slingshot, first aid kit, and knives.  She threw those on top as well.  Walking across the room, she grabbed her bow and arrows, then picked up her laundry basket.  Looking at Daryl, she just said, “See you around.” 

But before she could leave, Daryl said very softly, “Baby, please.  Please just fight.”   
“You want me to fight with you?”   
“No dammit, I want ya to fight FOR me!  I fought for you!  Why can’t ya fight for me?”  Daryl knew he sounded pathetic, but he couldn’t help it.  The last thing he wanted was for her to walk out the door.  He felt like if she did, she wouldn’t come back.  He couldn’t lose her, but if she was going to keep pushing him away….

Angel paused.  She dropped the laundry basket, put her bow on top, and sat down at the foot of the bed with her head in her hands.  Daryl knelt in front of her.  “Babygirl, please,” he begged.

 

She looked up at him.  “Sometimes...most of the time...I feel like I’m still there.  I’m still there and this is another dream.  I’ll wake up and be cold and hungry and scared again.  It’ll just be another day of being a pack mule, hoping for food.  Of being...a dog.”   
She wouldn’t look him in the eye.   
“Daryl, are you sure you want to know this?  This was the one thing I didn’t tell because it was so humiliating.  And I knew if I told...you couldn’t love me anymore.”   
“Baby, the shit they did ta ya ain’t ya fault.  Ya know that.  I ain’t gonna stop lovin’ ya, but ya gotta quit lyin’ and hidin’ shit.  Look, if ya tell me, I’ll tell ya somethin’ I ain’t never told no one neither.”

 

Angel took a breath.  “They found the dog collar and leash at an abandoned house we stayed in.  The people who lived there were a little… ‘freaky’ I suppose.  Those were human sized.  Not for a dog.  There were no dog bowls or anything.  They decided that it was perfect for me.  When they got bored, which was often, they would put it on me, and ….  and they would…. they would make me crawl around the camp on all fours and bark, like a dog.  They would make me do dog tricks, like roll over and beg and sit up, for food, but they rarely gave me anything.  If they did, they threw it in the dirt, and I still ate it because I was so damn hungry.”  The tears were flowing freely on the both of them, but Angel continued.  “They would sometimes use it for….um...sexual purposes.  They would put me on my hands and knees, and one guy would fuck me from behind while I gave another a blow job.”  Daryl was trying very hard to be calm.  He reminded himself that he had asked to hear this.  “Sometimes,” she went on, “they would use it to choke me out.  They used it kind of like a garrote, so they would tighten it slowly.  And each time I thought ‘this is it’.  But it wasn’t.  I’d wake up, usually with one of those bastards having sex with me.  After a while, I started to hope that they would kill me.”  Daryl’s head snapped up when she said that.  “I had already convinced myself that you weren’t real.  Just some superhero I’d made up.  Just my imagination.  That I didn’t have a home.  Because if you were real, you’d have rescued me.  You’d have found me and brought me home...”   
“Babygirl, I was lookin’ for ya everywhere!  I was tryin’!” Daryl was positively bawling.   
“I know that now, but I didn’t then!  I felt so alone and so afraid.  That day that I….that I ‘left’, I just snapped.  All I knew was to head East, that there was something important there.  I think I walked all day and all night, it's still a little fuzzy.”   
“Why would ya even think I wouldn’t love ya anymore, Angel?”   
“Because I didn’t fight them.  I stopped fighting them.  It was easier if I didn’t.  I didn’t get hit.  I was more likely to get fed if I...if I was… a … ‘good little doggie’.”  She hung her head in shame.  “So I tried to be the best little doggie there ever was.  It made it a little more bearable.  Not much, but a little.”   
Daryl stood and started to pace.  Angel looked up at him and said, “Please don’t be mad at me.”   
“I ain’t mad at ya, I’m mad at them!” he yelled, making her flinch. He immediately felt guilty.  “I’m sorry, sweetheart.  Didn’t mean ta yell.  Just wish those bastards were alive so I could kill them myself.”

 

Angel stood.  She wasn’t sure what to do.  Did he want her to say or leave?  He seemed to read her mind.  Daryl picked up the laundry basket and shoved it in her hands, and her heart dropped to the floor.  Until Daryl told her, “Put all ya shit back.  Ya ain’t goin’ nowhere.”   
“I’m not?”   
“No.  And another thing…” he took the laundry basket back, put it on top of the dresser, and grabbed her hand, sliding her engagement ring on her finger.  “Don’t ya never take that off again, woman.  We’re gettin’ married, period.  Ya already my wife as far as I’m concerned.  The ring stays on ya finger.  Ya got that?”   
“Yes.” she gave him a smile.

“Good.  Now sit that cute lil’ ass of yers down.  I promised I’d tell ya something I never told no one.  And I’m gonna,” he took a deep breath.  “The only people who know about this are the people that did it.  Even my own brother didn’t know, he’d already left home by then.”  Daryl looked at Angel.  She looked like she was getting some of the light back in her eyes, thankfully.  Taking another deep breath he began.   
“I lost my virginity when I was 13.”   
“Wow!  You were quite the Romeo!”

“Naw, it weren't like that.  I was livin’ with my pa, my ma was already dead.  He come in ta wake me one morning, I still can’t believe that I didn’t wake up when he was comin’ down the hall like usual.  I was about 13, and I guess in my sleep I had me a hard on.  Weren’t my fault, just one of those things.  Well my pa busts in and sees my dick standin’ at attention and starts laughin’ and makin’ fun of me.  Now, I’d woken up stiff before, I won’t lie, and it always went down pretty damn quick. I didn’t know why it happened.”   
“Because you were 13 and hormonal.  It’s normal.”   
“Well yeah, I know that now, didn’t back then.  Figured it was somethin’ that would eventually sort itself out.  And it did.  But my pa busts in and starts laughing at my dick bein’ up.  I was already embarrassed and he just made it worse, which is somethin’ he was good at.  I just ran out and hid in the woods all day.  Didn’t go back til after dark.  When I got home, he was gone, and I was glad.  I went ta bed.  I heard him come in later, and I could hear a girl laughin’.  For once I was glad.  If he had a woman with him, she’d keep him occupied.  Well, not tonight.”  Daryl couldn’t even look at her.  “This girl he brought home just busts inta my room.  I was like, ‘What the hell lady?  The john’s down the hall!’  But she weren’t lookin’ fer the toilet, she was lookin’ fer me.  My pa had paid for her ta come to the house and ‘make me a man’.”   
“You’re kidding me.”   
“I wish.  The problem was I didn’t want nothin’ ta do with her.  She was old and broken down lookin’.  She was 50 if she was a day.  I tried ta leave but my pa was on the other side of the door holding the knob shut.  He tells me, ‘Ya ain’t gettin’ out til ya show Rosie a good time, I paid good money fer that pussy!’  The only thing my pa ever bought me was some tired, old pussy that I didn’t even want.”

For Angel that was the saddest thing she’d ever heard.  He was 13.  He should have been shooting BB guns and playing Little League baseball and riding bikes with his friends.

Daryl continued on, “Naturally, I couldn’t even get it up.  I begged her, ‘Just tell him we did somethin’, please’, but she said, ‘Nope, yer pa says you already got the big Dixon cock, and I want it!’  This lady just kinda….tackled me.  She was on me and pullin’ down my pants, and grabbed me.  Startin givin’ me a hand job.  I didn’t want ta get hard, but I did.  Next thing I know she’s ridin’ my dick like it’s the damn pony express.  I ‘member I was cryin’ and tellin’ her ta please stop.  I came in about 30 seconds.  She was pissed off and went out to fuck my pa, sayin’ he were a ‘real man’.  Well yeah, I was 13.  He made fun of me fer weeks after that.  Called me ‘Quick Draw’, told all his friends...” he trailed off.   
Angel took Daryl’s face in her hands.  She knew he hadn’t figured it out.  “Daryl, you were raped.”   
“Naw!  I got hard and I came.”   
“Yeah, because you were a hormonal 13 year old.  It’s a biological reaction.  Even some females orgasm when they get raped.  You couldn’t help it anymore than you can help breathing.  Daryl, you were crying and telling her to stop.  You just said so.  This woman, an adult woman, took you, a child, by force.  That’s statutory rape.  You were raped, and your father helped.”   
Daryl just looked at her, then tears started spilling out.  She was right.  She had told him that when she was taken, she had cried and told those bastards no, and he would never think of that as anything other than rape.  Neither he or Merle ever forced a woman.  They believed a girl only needed to say no once.  If you did anything past that, you were a rapist.  Why had he not seen it?  “I thought the only time men were raped was in prison,” he sobbed.  “I never thought a girl could rape a guy.”  Merle had told him horror stories of guys getting raped when he was in the clink.  Luckily, he was big enough that only a fool messed with Merle, but he told stories of guys screaming, guards turning a blind eye, and guys getting their assholes stitched back together in the prison infirmary.

Angel put her arms around him, “It happens more than you’d think.  We had guys sometimes come into the ER for STD testing after they’d been raped  Raped by women.”  Daryl couldn’t stop crying.   
“Baby, look at me,” she said.  “Maybe you could talk to Denise about this-”   
“NO!  I don’t want anyone ta know!”   
“Ok, ok!  But she can’t say anything to anybody unless you ok it.  Think about it: did she ever tell you anything about me?  She’s bound by law, and although we don’t have much law these days, she stands by that.  She doesn’t even talk to Tara.  The most she has ever told Tara is whether or not a patient is making progress.  That’s it.  Please at least think about it, ok?”   
Daryl promised he would, but he was pretty sure he would never go through with it.

 

Angel and Daryl just sat with their arms around each other.  He whispered, “I got no more secrets from ya, girl.”   
“Me neither.”   
“Good,” he said pulling back and looking at her.  “No more secrets, alright?  No more hiding shit.”   
She nodded.  

  
“Daryl?”   
“Yeah?”   
“Can we just...I just want to go to sleep.  I want today to be over.”   
“Yeah, come on.”   
They changed and climbed into bed, exhausted.  Daryl watched her sleep curled up against him for the longest time.  A little frown crossed her forehead.  He stroked it gently until it disappeared and gave a soft kiss which made her get a little smile in her sleep.  His whispered, “I love you, Angel,” even though he knew she couldn’t hear it.  Then and only then, did he finally close his eyes and go to sleep.


	65. Chapter 65

The two of them slept soundly that night.  Daryl was no longer worried about Angel, and Angel was no longer worried about being taken again, so they slept well.  When they woke, smiling at each other, Daryl asked her, “Wanna tell me what happened to ya hand?  Why’s it all bandaged?”  She laughed at his protectiveness.  “Broken jar on the assembly line.  I cut it, Rosita stitched it up.  It was right before….” she trailed off.  “Anyway, it’s ok, just can’t work in there until it heals, and by then we’ll probably be done.  Gonna check with Rick about working in the tower and stuff.”   
“Ya gotta talk ta Deanna today.”   
She sighed.  “Yeah.  Not looking forward to it.”  They got ready for the day, Daryl went to work with Abraham, and Angel went to see Deanna.

 

Deanna was not pleased.  “I am against what you did yesterday, Doctor Beecher, whatever it was.  Am I correct in assuming they are dead?”   
“They won’t ever come back here.  They aren’t a threat anymore.”   
“You didn’t answer my question.”   
Angel glared at the woman.  “It’s a trick question.  There is no right answer.  If I say they are dead, then you peg me a murderer.  If I say they are alive, then the town is still in danger.  You know what they did to me, Deanna.  I sat in this very chair and told you.  You know what they are capable of.  You watched them hold a baby and a young girl hostage with no regard for them.  My only answer is that they will not be coming back here.  Ever.  Draw your own conclusions from that.”   
“This is not the wild west!  You are not judge, jury, and executioner!”   
“God dammit!”  Angel yelled, jumping up from her seat.  “It IS the wild west!  There is no law and order except the law and order we enforce inside these walls!  If your goal is to keep us all safe, that never would have happened with them as prisoners!  Jacob is a psychotic rapist and murderer, and Emma is a compulsive, manipulative liar who conspired to kill me!  She came back and brought a demon to our gates, a demon I had to live with for three months.  THREE MONTHS, Deanna!  I lost three months of my life to him and his sick friends!  I nearly lost my mind, not to mention my life!  They mentally broke me down and practically turned me into an animal!  And yet you think we should have let them live among us and take care of them? Not while I’ve got air in my lungs, NOT TODAY, LADY!”

Deanna was stunned into silence by her outburst.  “What if you had driven out to wherever you took them and they had turned the tables?  What then?”   
“Then we wouldn’t be having this conversation.  And you might be getting dragged around on a dog leash while watching men get shot on sight, women get raped, and god only knows what would happen to the children!  Look,” Angel told her, trying to calm herself.  “I did what I had to do to keep everyone in this town safe.  I will do that for as long as I am allowed to live here.  I don’t regret what I did.  I wouldn’t take it back if I could.  I did what needed to be done.  And I told you when I finally started speaking again that if they came back, they would have to die.  Like I said, draw your own conclusions.  If you want to banish me, I’ll get my things and go.”   
Deanna sighed.  Angel had gotten kidnapped protecting Enid.  She had covered baby Judith’s body with her own when the bullets started flying.  And she risked herself to get rid of the plague that was Emma and Jacob.  “No, Doctor Beecher.  Alexandria is better for having someone like you in it.  May I ask what happened to your hand?”   
Angel explained how she had cut it on a broken jar and that “Doctor Espinoza” had told her not to work around the food until it healed.  Deanna raised her eyebrows when Angel called Rosita that.  “She’s a fine doctor, Deanna.  I’ll always be here to help her with any surgeries or emergencies that she is unsure of.  But I think I can better help on patrols and in the tower.  If we’re done, I’d like to talk to Rick about where he might need me.”   
Deanna nodded and Angel left.  She still didn’t agree with what Angel did, but it was more coming from being worried about Angel’s safety, not because she thought it was wrong.  Angel had been right.  If they had let them go, they would have come back.  If they had imprisoned them in Alexandria, people would be serving them food, taking them clean clothes….it wasn’t right.  She wondered if Angel had actually killed them or left them for the walkers.  Then she realized she didn’t care.  Angel had guaranteed they wouldn’t come back.  That was good enough for her.

 

Angel caught up with Rick.  He said he could start her in the tower the next day. “But if you want to help, you could go talk to Spencer and Jeanne.  Both of them feel guilty for letting Jacob come in.  Jeanne had him in her crosshairs, but he had Judith and she was afraid to shoot…”  Angel sighed.  “It’s not their fault.  Nobody except me knew what he looked like.  I’m surprised that Enid remembered his voice.”   
“After you were taken, she said she’d never forget it.  She said it haunted her nightmares.”   
“Well, she’ll never have to hear it again, I promise.”   
“Angel...are they dead?”   
Angel took a breath.  “Rick, they are never going to bother anyone ever again.”

He nodded in understanding.  “I can’t thank you enough.  You grabbing Judy like you did.  Me and Carl were too far away.  I thought I lost her once.  I couldn’t lose her again.  You rolled on top of her to protect her…” a few tears spilled out and he hurriedly wiped them away.

Angel stepped up to him and put her arms around his neck, and he broke down.  “I can’t lose my kids, I just can’t,” he said his voice muffled.  “You didn’t.  You won’t,” Angel promised.  He pulled away and gave her a weak smile.  “That threat is gone, Rick.”

From a distance, Daryl saw Angel hugging Rick.  He expected to feel a bit jealous, but he didn’t.  That was his wife.  She wasn't screwing around, that wasn’t her style.  He saw Rick wipe his eyes.  Guy was probably crying after almost losing Judy.  Angel protected that little girl with her own body.  If anyone had shot, she would have died.  Daryl felt his blood run cold at the thought, then shook it off.  She didn’t die.  But she was braver than anyone.  He felt a swell of pride at that.   _ ‘My wife is badass and beautiful,’   _ he thought.

 

Angel spoke with both Spencer and Jeanne, and they were both beside themselves with guilt.  It wasn’t their fault, nobody knew what Jacob looked like.  And in all honesty, he was non-descript.  Dark, shaggy hair going gray, about 5’9 - 5’10”, late 40’s to early 50’s.  Pretty generic description.  New protocol was established, no one got into the gate without a guard nearby.  Even if they had walkers chasing them, whoever was in the tower could pick them off.

 

Angel went back home and puttered around the house.  She put her things away, cleaned up and put dinner in the oven.  Banged her injured hand a few times and swore loudly.  Daryl came home to dinner waiting, and was kind of impressed.  He knew she could cook, but it was kind of nice of her to have it all ready and waiting for him.

“So Rick said I can start working up in the tower tomorrow.”   
“No more working at the clinic for ya?”  He was kind of surprised.

“Nah.  Rosita’s got it covered.  I mean, if she needs me, I will always help.  But...I don’t know.  It’s just not where my heart is anymore.  I actually really enjoyed working in the fields.  It’s kind of repetitive, and my mind could wander and the work still got done.  Can’t let my mind wander during surgery.  A person can die.  But the harvest is done, won’t be any planting until spring except for a few weather hardy things.  I know that I don’t really need to work as much, but I want to.  Watch tower, patrols-”   
Daryl cut her off.  “No patrols for ya.  Too dangerous.”   
“Daryl,” she warned him, “don’t start.  Unlike when we went looking for Carl and Enid, I’ll be better armed, and Deanna is sending outer patrols out in small groups.  I’ll be safe.”   
Daryl sighed.  He knew she was right, but still.  “When ya go out, I’m going with.”  She opened her mouth to protest, and he told her, “At least the first few times.  Don’t like the idea of ya being out of my sight here inside the walls, forget about out there.  Swore I’d never let ya out of my sight.  Ain’t gonna risk losin’ ya, beautiful.”   
Later as the put away the dishes, she asked him, “You really would love to tattoo ‘Property of Daryl Dixon’ on my ass, wouldn’t you?”   
“Hell yeah.  But only if ya were inta it.  Wouldn’t never mark ya against ya will.”

Angel got an idea.  “Go upstairs and wait for me.” 

Daryl knew that look in her eye, and he smiled.  “What’cha up ta, girl?”   
“You’ll see.  Just go up to bed and wait for me.”

 

Daryl bounded up the stairs two at a time.  She was being playful, and he was loving it.  He stripped down to his boxer briefs and waited.  She came up a few minutes later.  Smiling and never taking her eyes off of him she slowly stripped completely naked.  Daryl moved to get off the bed to approach her, but she told him.  “No.  Down boy.”  Picking up her discarded pants from the floor, she removed something she had seen in the junk drawer forever.  She even checked to make sure they worked.  It was a couple of black marker pens.  She crawled onto the bed next to him and stretched out on her belly.  Handing him the markers, Angel said, “Now you can mark me anyway you want.”

Daryl just stared at her for a minute.  “Ya sure?”   
“Well yeah.  It’ll wash off.  No drawing on my neck or face though, deal?”   
As if he would ever do anything to that beautiful face of hers.  “Deal.’”

 

Running a hand across the velvet cheeks of her ass, he uncapped one of the pens.  Very carefully, in small block letters, he wrote, “Property of Daryl Dixon”.  He drew a few hearts around it.

Moving up to her back, she could feel him drawing something.  “What is that?” she asked.  He softly said, “Just givin’ my Angel her wings.”  When he was done, he gently placed a few kisses down her spine, and whispered, “Roll over.”  She rolled over onto her back, and Daryl looked her over.  “Ya okay, babygirl?”   
“Mhm.”  Him drawing on her body was much more erotic than she thought it would be.

 

He slowly and painstakingly drew criss-crossing vines of ivy across her tummy.  On one thigh he drew a bouquet of roses, on the other a small horse.  Somewhat surprisingly, he was actually a really good artist.  Going up to her chest, he drew a heart right above her real one.  “Could ya roll over again?”   
She did, and Daryl placed his big hand on her unmarked ass cheek.  He squeezed it gently a few times, then she felt the pen tracing the outline of his palm, and she giggled.  She could feel him drawing something in the palm.  She felt him marking down the back of one leg.  The pens were drying out so he finally stopped.  Daryl climbed off the bed and reached for Angel’s hand.  She took it and her led her to the big mirrors in the bathroom so she could see.  He chewed nervously on his thumbnail while she looked.  Inside his palm outline, he had written “Daryl loves Angel”.  At the top of  the back of one thigh, he drew some clouds, with droplets of rain going down her leg to a small puddle at the ankle.  But the wings on her back, those were the best.  They were identical to the ones on his vest, and underneath he’d written “Angel Dixon”.  

Angel got teary.  “Oh, Daryl….”  

Poor Daryl misinterpreted.  “I’m so sorry, baby.  I got carried away, I guess.  It’ll wash off…”   
She threw her arms around him.  “I love it.  All of it.  But especially the wings.  And ‘Angel Dixon’.”  He smiled shyly.  “Ya really like it?  All of it?”   
“Every last mark.  You’re a really good artist.”   
“Psh.”

“No really, I can’t draw for shit.  It’s really beautiful, Daryl.  It will be shame to wash it off.  So before I do, how about I show you how much I appreciate it?”  she smiled.

“Babygirl, ya never fail to amaze me.  And turn me the fuck on,” he said, glancing down to his very obvious erection.

 

Angel walked back to the bedroom, Daryl following, eyes on her ink covered ass.  She kneeled on the bed and crooked her finger at him.  “Come here, you.”    She pulled his boxers off, let his cock spring free, and slid him into her mouth.  He groaned, and pushed her hair away from her face so he could have a good view.  He was never going to get tired of this girl.  She let his cock slip from her lips and said, “Fuck my mouth, Daryl.”   
He looked down on her.  “Babygirl, after all ya been through….”   
“Please.  I need it from you.”

“Ya absolutely sure?”   
“Yes.”   
“Ya stop me if ya get upset, yeah?”   
“I will.”

 

Daryl reached down and gripped her hair tightly, and roughly shoved his cock down her throat.  If she could have smiled, she would have.  Instead she made a happy noise in her throat, vibrating the head of his cock.  She got on her hands and knees.  Her fucked her mouth a little tentatively at first, then finally hard and rough.  Daryl looked down at his little wild banshee, and her big eyes looked up at him full of trust.  Those beautiful eyes of hers...  He gripped her hair a little tighter and started to really thrust in her mouth.  He suddenly yanked her mouth free and she looked at him in confusion.  “On your back, now!” he barked, and she rolled over obediently.  He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her until her head was hanging off the bed.  How long had they been together and they hadn’t 69’d yet?  What the hell was wrong with them?

Angel figured out what was going on and opened her mouth and her legs.  He said, “Ya ok with this?”   
“Damn right!”

He kneeled and slid his cock in her mouth to the hilt.  “Holy fuck,” he muttered.  It was a totally different sensation like this.  He pumped into her mouth and leaned forward, burying his face into her wet pussy.  Oh yeah, they had waited way too long for this.   
Angel was loving it.  His big cock sliding in and out of her throat, and she was also noticing that him eating her out from this angle felt different.  She wrapped one arm around his hips in an effort to push him even deeper into her throat, while her free hand crept between his legs and gently stroked his balls.  His had to lift his head from between her legs.  “That’s it babygirl!  Make me cum!  Ya wanna swallow?”   
She made and enthusiastic, “ Mhm!”

He lifted off of his knees onto his toes in almost a push up position, fucking Angel’s mouth.  “Fuck yes!  Take it all!  EVERY FUCKING INCH, DIRTY GIRL!” He exploded in her mouth and she swallowed around the head of his cock, still lodged in her throat, making him shudder and writhe, still on his toes, crying out with animalistic grunts and moans.  Once he unloaded in her mouth completely, he collapsed backward onto the floor, feeling like a dick for not finishing Angel off.  But looking up, he saw her eyes closed, and two fingers of one hand pumping her pussy while her other hand worked her clit.  He was mesmerized.  Her fingers were making obscene wet, smacking sounds as she pumped them in and out.  He reached over and started to tweak her nipples, and she breathed out, “Oh yeah.”  After less than 30 seconds, her back arched, her fingers went in deep, and the fingers on her clit were a  blur as she cried out, “Oh FUCK!  FUCKFUCKFUCK DARYL!”  Her body jerked a few more times, and then she came back to earth.  Angel gently pulled her fingers from her pussy.  Daryl saw them glisten with wetness, and brought them to his mouth to clean them off.  Her eyes slid open, and she gave him a tired smile.  Standing on shaky legs, he picked her up and spun her around so she was laying properly in the bed.  “Sorry I abandoned that pussy.  Ya mouth felt so different at that angle.”   
“Mmm.  Yours, too.”   
“Fuck.  Sorry.”   
“That’s ok, you can make it up to me later,” she smiled wickedly.

“Anything ya want babygirl.”


	66. Chapter 66

Angel and Daryl dozed off and on for the better part of an hour.  Well, mostly Angel.  Daryl just held her tightly against his side and just watched her sleep.  If she knew how often he did that, she’d probably be creeped out.  But the three months she’d been gone had felt like three hundred years to him.  He had never allowed himself to think she was gone.  When he told people he could feel that she was still alive, still out there, still wanting to come home, that wasn’t just lip service.  He really felt her, with every bone in his body, every drop of blood in his veins, and every breath in his lungs.  He knew.  He just KNEW.  Even now, he didn’t like to deal in what if’s, because it scared the shit out of him.  What if he’d found her dead body?  Would he had even wanted to go on living?  What if she’d turned into a walker and come after him?  Would he had been able to put her down, or would he just let her take him down?  He shuddered, and Angel stirred.   
Daryl stroked her hair and said softly, “Shh.  Go back to sleep, little one.  It’s ok.”  Angel fell right back to sleep.

 

How had he lived before her?  He’d always been so angry at the world, lashing out at anyone who got too close.  But she got close.  And she didn’t back down.  Damn he was lucky.

A small, sleepy voice said, “What are you smiling at, handsome?”

“You.”   
“Am I funny?”   
“Ya make me happy.”

Angel was quiet then asked, “Have you had a lot of girls?”   
Daryl sat up laughing.  “What?”   
Angel smiled.  “Have you had a lot of girls?”

Daryl thought about it.  Merle, obnoxious bastard that he was, seemed to be the ladies man.  “Well Merle got a lot of girls.  I got some.  I just weren’t inta the whole chattin’ girls up ta try ta get in their pants thing.”   
“Oh come on.  There had to be some girls into your whole ‘strong, silent guy’ thing.”   
“I didn’t say I never got girls, just not a lot.  And I ain’t never had a girlfriend til ya came along.”

It was Angel’s turn to be shocked.  “You’re kidding!  I know you said that before, but really?   Never?”   
“Nah.  Guessin’ it had ta do with the kinda girls we knew.  Barflies, kinda trashy, really.  I knew that I didn’t wanna spend lots of time with them.  Just….”   
“Find ‘em, feel ‘em, fuck ‘em, forget ‘em?”   
“Where the hell ya learn that?”   
“Guys used to say it in high school, not that they ever got laid.”

“Well, kinda embarrassed ta admit it, but yeah.  In my defense, that was pretty much all them girls wanted, too.”

“So, I’m REALLY your first girlfriend?  But you asked me like it was no big deal.  I actually had to kind of MAKE you ask me!”   
“Yep.  While we was in the shower.”   
Angel smiled.  “Aw, you remember.”   
He rolled over on top of her.  “Let me tell ya something.  I can’t tell ya what day of the week it is, or even what year fer sure.  But I’ve remembered every damn thing ya ever said ta me, every time ya smiled at me,” he was stroking her face, “and I can draw a map of every little freckle on ya body.  I know exactly how ya feel up against me.  I know that ya hair always smells like flowers somehow, and ya body smells like vanilla.  I know ya mumble in ya sleep.  I know how ta make ya laugh, how ta make ya cry, and how ta make ya scream.  I know ya better than I know myself.  I love every damn thing about ya so much that it makes me crazy.  And I know the waterworks are gonna start for ya in about two seconds.”   
He was right. The tears started to flow for Angel.

“How do you know all that?  How do you remember all that?”

“Angel, ain’t ya figured it out?  The best and most important thing that’s ever happened ta me in my whole life is YOU.  I work hard here ta make it safe for everyone, but especially you.  I won’t let ya wander off alone on patrol because I can’t take a chance at losin’ ya again.  Don’t think I’d survive goin’ through that again.  I’d live and die for ya, Angel.  I’d do anythin’ ya ever asked of me.”   
“Anything?”   
“Yep.”   
“Marry me.”   
Daryl chuckled.  “I already said I would!  A buncha times!”   
Angel sat up.  “No, I mean we need to do it.  Like set a date.”   
“Ya ready for that?”   
“Yeah.  Are you?”   
“Babygirl, I was ready the first time I asked ya.  Woulda married ya that day.  Far as I was concerned, I made ya my wife when ya said yes.”   
He was still on top of her.  Angel opened her legs and wrapped them around him.  “So with all those babes you banged...am I, you know, good?”   
“Shit, girl.  ‘Good’ ain’t a strong enough word.  Best goddamn sex I’ve ever had every damn time!”

“Really?” she asked, wide eyed.   
“Fuck yeah.  Ya so damn gorgeous.  Beautiful.  Smart.  And ya trust me.  I know ya done things with me ya ain’t never done with nobody.  That means somethin’ ta me.  Never thought I’d be married, because I never thought I’d be lucky enough ta get someone like ya.  A real Angel.  Still don’t know how a stupid redneck like me-”   
“Stop.  You’re not a stupid redneck.  Those are two words I wouldn't use to describe you.”   
“What….what words would ya use?” he asked softly, almost as if he were afraid of her answer.   
“Fearless.  Loyal.  Stong.  Protective.  Loving.  Handsome.  And really, REALLY good in bed.  REALLY good.”

“Those are the things ya think about me?” he asked as if he couldn’t believe it.   
“Yes, and I’m not the only one.  Well, except for the sex part.  There had better be nobody else who knows that first hand.”   
Damn this woman.  “Day after tomorrow,” he said.

“What?”   
“We’ll get married the day after tomorrow.  Abraham still has the little archway thing he built in his garage.  That gives everyone a day to get their shit together.  No more screwing around.  We’ll let them know in the morning.  Gonna be mine forever, girl.  Sound ok?”   
“Perfect!”   
“Then it’s all settled,” Daryl told her.  “And now, I believe I owe you a good tongue lashin’...”   
  
He slid down between her legs, head down.  Over his shoulder he confirmed, “Ya said it felt different from this angle?  Did ya like it?”  Angel nodded vigorously, and Daryl mumbled, “Alrighty,” and dove in.

Using his fingers, he spread her pussy lips apart, and barely grazed his tongue along her clit, feeling her jerk.  He did it several times, giving it a few gentle taps with his finger in between each lick, making her moan and twitch.  He slid the backside of his tongue back and forth along it a few times, then pulled back, watching her clit swell and protrude, slick and throbbing slightly with her heart beat.  He suckled at it lightly, never giving Angel as much as she wanted, teasing her button mercilessly.  Daryl chest was basically across  her hips, and she couldn’t lift up against his mouth, but she was trying.  She made a frustrated noise and he finally took pity on her.  He rolled them both with her on top and growled at her, “Sit up and ride my face, baby.”   
“Wh-what?”   
“I know ya heard me.  Don’t make me say it again.  Use me and get yaself off.  NOW.”   
Angel sat up tentatively, her knees by Daryl’s ears, and her cute little butt right in his face.  She gingerly eased back, just barely far enough for his tongue to reach.   
“What’s the problem girl?”   
“I’m kind of afraid of suffocating you with my ass.”   
“Let me worry about it,” he said as he pulled her down hard on his face and got back to work.

After about two seconds, Angel stopped worrying about it.  She stopped thinking altogether.  Daryl’s tongue was swiping from her clit all the way to her hole, dipping inside for a few licks, then back to the start.  He reached his hands up and around to her tits, grabbed them both, and pulled downward, pushing her down on his face even harder.

He was totally consumed by her body.  He could breathe just fine, and every breath smelled like that hot little box that was starting to grind back onto him.  That was just what he wanted, for her to really ride his face, he wanted her to lose herself in the feeling.

Angel reached down and grasped his thighs tightly for leverage, and was rocking and pushing against his hot velvet tongue.  This was a man who made eating pussy into an art form.  It felt so good, almost too good, almost too much to take.

“Fuck Daryl,” she was moaning.  “How does this feel so fucking good?  You’re gonna make me cum so hard…..”   
That was exactly what he wanted.  He wanted her to come all over his face.  He swiped from her pussy back to her asshole a few times, making her squeal.  He was gonna destroy her tonight.  Take her apart and put her back together and erase everything bad that had ever happened until all that was left was the two of them.  Nobody before and nobody ever again.

“Daryl….oh fuck baby...gonna cum so hard...yeah, yeah, YEAH!  CUMMING, I’M CUMMING BABY!!!” she wailed.

She came like a damn waterfall, and it was fucking delicious.  He couldn’t keep up with it.  He swallowed as much as he could, but it still ran all across his face, and that was what he wanted.  His entire face soaked by her.

Angel finally gave her last twitch and her last droplet, and rolled off him weakly, eyes closed.  Daryl popped his head up and could see in the mirror atop the dresser that his entire face was indeed, slick with her moisture.  He turned around, and said, “Open ya eyes, look at what’cha did ta me, dirty girl.  Made a mess of me.”  She opened her eyes.  His face looked like a glazed donut.  “That’s all from me?” she asked.

“Yep.  Need ta clean up ya mess, girl,” he told her, rolling over onto his back.  Angel straddled him and slowly licked all of her own cum off of his face, then gave him a long kiss.  “All clean,” she whispered to him.

 

“Gonna own ya tonight, girl.  Every inch.  Before I make an honest woman outta ya, gonna make a filthy whore outta ya.  Up for it?”   
“Yes sir!” she smiled.

“Good girl.  Ya rode my face like a dirty whore, now ride my cock like one.”

“With pleasure,” she told him.


	67. Chapter 67

Daryl was still as Angel slid herself down on his perpetually hard cock.  Looking down at him, she said, “I can’t wait to be married to you.”   
“Me neither.  Gonna be fucking ya till we’re a hundred years old, woman.  Ain’t never gonna get tired of this.”

 

He grabbed her hips tightly, slowing her down.  He liked to make it last, and she smiled down at him.  Quick as a flash, he flipped them over, and pinned her hands above her head, taking care with her hand with the stitches.

“What’cha smilin’ at, girl?”   
“My hot husband.”   
Well, he didn’t have a smart ass remark for that one.  He just started to pound into her so hard his breath was coming out in rough, short pants.  Angel wrapped her legs around him, pulling him tightly against her.  He sank as deeply as he could into her and stilled, nudging the head of his cock gently against her cervix, making her gasp.  He looked down to where their bodies were joined.  The ink from the vines on her tummy was smudged from the sweat and friction.  Whispering to her, he told her, “Look down, girl.  Look at that.  I’m inside ya, Angel.  Couldn’t be no closer if we tried.”   
Angel looked down.  They looked like they were joined together.

He pressed against her gently, making her gasp again.  “That hurt babygirl?  Does it hurt when I’m that deep in ya?”   
She nodded, whispering, “Yes, but I love it.  I love the way you hurt me.  It feels so fucking good.”

“That’s because ya my dirty little whore, ain’t that right, girl?”   
“Yesssss….”   
“Say it, girl!” he demanded as he thrust against her again.

“I’m….I’m….”

She needed to say it.  He needed her to say it.  Daryl needed Angel to say it out loud, to mark herself as his, to wipe out what happened.   
“Say it, girl!”   
“NO!”   
“No?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.  “Ya forget that I got ‘Property of Daryl Dixon’ wrote on ya ass?”  He pulled one of her legs up to his shoulders, and thrust.  He was in her so deep and it felt so good.  He hissed at her, “Say it!”   
“NO!” her eyes were screwed tightly shut.  Daryl thrust into her again, feeling the soft puckered opening of her cervix against his cock.  He couldn’t take much more.   
“Angel, look at me.”

She shook her head.   
“Open ya eyes, girl!”

She opened her eyes and looked at him.

Daryl began sliding in and out of her again.  “Who do you belong to?”   
“You.”   
He started thrusting harder.  “Who?”   
“Daryl!  Daryl Dixon!”

He pulled her other leg up to his shoulders as well, making her eyes flutter shut.   
“Open ya eyes and look at me!” he demanded, and she obeyed.  “Ya belong ta me?”   
“Yes!”   
“Ya my property?”   
“Yes!” 

He could feel her start to flutter, and he stilled deep in her. 

“No, please don’t stop, Daryl!”   
Nudging her cervix again, and seeing the pleasure and pain cross her face, he growled, “Say it.”   
“I’m….I’m...I’m your dirty little whore!  PLEASE!”

 

Daryl pumped into her like a high speed piston, he couldn’t have stopped if he wanted to. He threw Angel’s legs off his shoulders and flipped them over so she was on top.  She ground down on him as he came, bucking his hips up into her, causing her to bounce down on his dick even harder, all the while he was yelling out, “MINE! MINE! FOREVER!”  She finally came, and came HARD.  Her back was arching so hard, Daryl was afraid she would snap in two.  She was clamped down on his cock like a vise.  Daryl was wondering if men could be multi-orgasmic because damn if he didn’t want to cum again.  Angel was bucking and thrashing on him and he wished he had a video camera because seeing her lose herself was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.  Finally she stilled atop him, head back, her long hair brushing his thighs, her body swaying and twitching slightly.  He ran his hands up her thighs to her waist, both of their bodies a mess of smeared ink.  “Babygirl?  Ya ok?”

She didn’t answer, just flopped down on him, her head in his neck, totally still except for her breathing.   
“Babygirl?”   
Silence.

“Angel?”   
Nothing.   
“Dammit girl, answer me!”   
“Mmmm.”

Well, that was something.

“Ya alright?”   
She mumbled and giggled.   
Daryl rolled her off of him gently.  “What you mumblin’ about girl?”

“Do you remember in the 80’s they had the ‘Monsters of Rock’ tour?”   
“Yeah…”   
“You could have done a tour of your own and called it ‘Monsters of Cock’!” she dissolved into giggles.

Daryl pulled her close.  “Crazy girl.”   
“And I’m all yours.”   
He looked at her and pushed back some pieces of hair sticking to the sweat on her forehead. “Damn right ya are.  Best thing in the world.”

 

For the first time in a long time, Daryl had a nightmare that night.  He dreamt that he woke up to an empty bed and screams outside.  He ran out.  Alexandria was a ghost town. Turning toward the direction of the screams, he saw Angel being dragged away in that damn dog collar, screaming his name.  But he couldn’t move.  He could only watch as she was dragged from his sight, and the screams faded away.

He woke with a start, shouting, “NO!”, and scaring the crap out of Angel.  Daryl sat up, covered in sweat.  “Are you ok, baby?” Angel asked full of concern.

“Shit.  Had a bad nightmare,” he told her laying back down.  She snuggled back up to his side and asked, “Wanna talk about it?”   
Taking a deep breath, Daryl told her, “I dreamed that I heard ya screamin’ outside.  I went after ya, and someone was draggin’ ya away in that damn dog collar.  Tried to go after ya, but it was like my feet were in cement or somethin’.”   
“Ugh, I hate dreams like that.  But there’s no one that will ever take me away, Daryl.  I promise.”

He kissed her forehead.

“Gonna hold ya ta that promise, girl.”

 

The next morning, they let everyone know about the wedding.  Abraham happily dusted off his homemade archway, and Maggie and Dana draped it in white fabric.  Jessie offered to do her hair the next day.  Angel was touched by all the fuss everyone was making.  She was on her way to the clinic to see Rosita when Aaron stopped her.  He had a camera that had one photo left in it, and he wanted it to be a wedding picture of the two of them.   
“Oh Aaron, are you sure?  I mean, don’t you want a picture of Eric or something?”   
“We already discussed it, and we think this is the best use of the film.  I can take a nice photo after the ceremony and have it developed and over to the two of you in a just a few days.”   
She gave him a big hug.  “Thank you so much, that will be wonderful!”

 

Rosita had her back to the door when Angel slipped in.  “Did you hear?” Angel asked.  Rosita turned around with a big smile.  “Yes I did, and I couldn’t be happier!”  She gave her a big hug.  “Angel, I’ve got some stuff for you at the house….for your wedding, I mean.  Would you come over and see if you want to use it?”   
“Sure.”   
  


Rosita was uncharacteristically quiet on the walk to their house.  “You ok, Ro?”   
“Yeah, just….well, I’ll show you when we get to the house.”   
They arrived and Rosita took her up to the bedroom she shared with Abraham.  Going into the closet, she pulled out a shoe box.  “I saw these on a run when you were missing.  I got them for if...when, you came back.”  Angel opened the box.  It was a pair of little white flats with embroidered little flowers, and beaded ankle straps.  “Rosita, these are so pretty!”  Rosita smiled.  “They were so fancy.  Not very practical for everyday wear, but I figured they would be perfect with your dress.”   
“Oh they are.  I sure didn’t want to wear my brown lace up boots with that dress.  I wasn’t sure of what to do.  Thank you, Ro, I love them.”  Angel gave her a big hug, and Rosita said, “There’s something else, but…”   
“What is it?”   
Rosita went over to her dresser drawer and pulled something out.  It was the little white silk garter with the blue ribbon.  The one Rosita had made for her.  She had showed it to her the day Jacob took her.  It felt like a lifetime ago.  Angel started to cry.  “Oh dammit,” Rosita said.  “I wasn’t sure if I should show it to you because I didn’t know if it would upset you.  If it would remind you.  Oh Angel, I’m so sorry!”  Rosita started to cry, too.

“No, no, Rosita, it’s ok!  I’m just really, really touched that you saved it.  I know you weren’t sure if I would come back, but I did.  And you saved it.”   
“I think that maybe, deep down, I still hoped you would come back.  That you would come HOME.”   
When Abraham came in a few minutes later, he found two crying girls, a pair of shoes, and piece of fabric on the floor between them.  Abraham asked, “Are you girls ok?  Why are you crying?”  Angel held up one of the shoes and said, “Look!”, then started crying again.  He got the work gloves he was looking for and left.  He sure loved women, but he’d be damned if he ever understood them.  They were apparently crying over shoes.

 

Back at the house,  Daryl was straightening up a bit.  Going into his pack, he found the little heart shaped piece of barbed wire Angel had given him.  There was some piece of framed artwork on the wall above the bed.  Some ponies in a field.  He liked it ok, but he could put it somewhere else.  He took it down, and put the heart up there instead.  It looked wildly out of place, but at the same time, exactly like it belonged there.

There was knock on the door downstairs, and he bounded down to answer it.  It was Jessie.  “Oh hey,” Daryl told her.  “Angel ain’t here.”   
“I know, I came to talk to you.  Rick said you borrowed some clothes for the wedding.  Some nice pants and a shirt and tie.”   
“Well yeah.  Her dress is real fancy.  Wouldn’t feel right standing up there dressed like...like this,” he said, motioning to himself.  He was in a pair of old cargo pants and a flannel shirt with the sleeves ripped off.  “I mean, I know she loves me, even though I look like this.  But I didn’t want it to look like I didn’t even care enough to get gussied up for my own wedding.”   
Jessie smiled.  Daryl really was a sweet guy under that gruff exterior.  “Your wedding is going to be perfect.  You guys make such a sweet couple.  I stopped by because I thought, if you wanted, I could cut your hair.”   
Daryl took a step back.  “Uh uh.  No way lady.”   
“Not a hack job, just a trim.  Just cut off the split ends.  No more than half an inch, I promise.  Just so it will look as nice as the rest of you.”

Daryl thought about it.  Maybe his hair could use a trim.  He hadn’t had a haircut in...years, really.  Since before the world went to crap.  He really did want to look decent for her.   
“Well….”   
Jessie held up a little bag and told him, “I brought all my stuff, I could do it right now.  Wouldn’t take long at all.”

“You promise not to hack it all off?  Angel kinda likes me with long hair….”   
“I promise.”   
“Well, I guess it wouldn’t hurt.”   
  
He pulled out a stool from the breakfast bar and had a seat.  Jessie draped a towel on his shoulders and sprayed his hair and set to work.  Daryl said, “Ain’t this how ya met Rick?”   
“Sort of.  I was delivering some stuff and noticed his hair was long and offered to cut it.”   
“When are the two of ya gonna tie the knot?”   
“Wh- what?” Jessie stammered.   
“Well, ya guys been together longer than me and Angel.”   
“Well yeah, but it’s not that easy.  There are kids involved.  And although I think Ron has forgiven him, Rick is still the reason his dad is gone.”   
“His dad was a dick.  Shouldn’ta been smackin’ his family around.  That ain’t no man.  My pa was like that.”   
“He was?”   
“Yeah.  I tell ya, I didn’t shed a tear when the bastard died.”

Jessie stopped cutting his hair and walked around to the front of him.  She looked like she was going to cry.  “Oh hey,” Daryl said.  “I’m real sorry.  I didn’t mean nothin’ by it.”   
“No, it’s ok.  I’ve always worried about if my kids would grow up like their dad.  But you went through it, and I see how you are with kids.  You’re so patient and loving.  So maybe my kids will be ok, too.”   
“They’ll be fine, Jess.”   
“Well,” she said, taking the towel off his shoulders.  “You’re all done.”  She handed him a mirror.  She kept his hair long, but the ends looked much nicer.  He looked better.  He smiled at her.  “Thanks.”   
  


A group of women was gathered at Carol and Tobin’s place, helping to plan out the details for the wedding.  Carol was making a couple of cakes.  A call went out for everybody to check the CD’s in their house for any kind of wedding music.  Another resident found a violin concerto of “Ave Maria” for Angel to walk down the aisle.  Deanna insisted a reception of types be held afterward at her house, and people all pitched in, offering to bring and make food.  There was even a few bottles of champagne, one of which Rosita and Abraham snuck away for a surprise for Daryl and Angel.

Angel went to take a quick walk over to the apartment where Red lived.  He was actually leaving to come over to see what he could help with.   
“Well hello, pretty Miss Angel!  Are you excited about tomorrow?”   
“Yes!  And a little bit scared.”   
They sat down on a bench and Red asked her, “Scared of what?  You aren’t getting cold feet now, are you?”   
“Well, yes and no.  I know I’m making the right decision, I can't imagine my life without him.  But I guess I’m just nervous.”   
“Well, there is nothing to be nervous about.  We’ll all be there to support you.”   
“Actually, that’s kind of what I wanted to talk to you about.  You know, support.”   
“Well what can I do to help?”   
“Well….my dad, he died a long time ago.  I was a kid.  And the guys my mom took up with afterward weren’t worth much.  But I always wanted someone to walk me down the aisle.  Would you walk me down the aisle, Red?  It would mean so much to me.”

Red got teary at this.  His two daughters had had small informal weddings, he didn’t walk them down the aisle, though he desperately wanted to.  They had thought that “giving the bride away” was an antiquated idea.  It was, but it meant much more to him.  It meant that he was entrusting this man to care for her as much as he did, it was symbolic more than anything.  But they didn’t want that, and he let it go.  And here was this sweet girl, a girl who, when he’d first met her, he’d pointed a gun at her, asking him to stand in as a father for her.  “Miss Angel, I would be honored to walk you down the aisle.”

 

There were several more hours of fussing and preparation during the day.  Angel decided to spend the night at Tara and Denise’s house.  Daryl didn’t like the idea, but it was the only way she could keep up the tradition of the groom not seeing the bride before the wedding.  “I don’t like ya being where I can’t keep an eye on ya.”   
“Oh come on, Daryl.  It’s just one night.  And it’s tradition.  After tomorrow, you’ll be stuck with me for the rest of your life.”   
“If I do this, it’s the last time we sleep apart, ya hear?”   
“Yes, and I agree.”   
“Alright.  Still don’t like it….” he muttered.

 

So many people pitched in with food and decorations.  Carol made enough cakes for everyone, including a mini cake just for the bride and groom to share.  Deanna pulled out some of the fancy liqueurs she had hidden away for “special occasions”.  The archway was decorated.  The wedding was set for noon the following day, out by the pond.  Angel and Daryl slept apart for the last time.

 

The morning of the ceremony, Daryl went outside the gates and picked some wildflowers for Angel.  He didn’t know if she had a bouquet, and he knew girls were supposed to throw them to the other girls.  He gathered up a nice bunch, trimmed them a bit, and tied them with twine, then headed over to Tara and Denise’s place.  Tara answered the door and told him, “You can’t be here!”   
“I know, I know!  I just wanted ya ta give somethin’ ta Angel,” he told her handing her the flowers.  “I weren’t sure if she had a bouquet, so I made her one.  Ya can take the twine off and maybe tie ‘em with a ribbon or somethin’ pretty.  I know it ain’t real fancy…” he was suddenly embarrassed. 

Tara looked at the flowers and said, “Daryl, this is a beautiful bouquet.  She’s going to love it.  Hell, *I* love it!”  Tara smiled as Daryl turned  pink.

“Well, I’ll let ya ladies get back ta doin’ whatever it is ya doin’.  Tell Angel I’ll see her soon.”

 

Tara ran up the stairs.  Angel was sitting on the bed eating a piece of toast when Tara walked in with the bouquet.  “Oh Tara, what pretty flowers!  Did Denise get them for you?”   
“Nope, Daryl got them for YOU.  This is your bouquet!  He said we could get rid of the twine and put a ribbon on it to make it pretty.”   
“Don’t you dare!  I love it just the way it is.”   
Denise came walking in and they showed her the bouquet and told about how Daryl had gotten it for Angel.

“You know,” Denise began, “when you wanted to move back home with him, I was against it.  He just seemed so abrasive.  But seeing the way he was with you: offering to carry everything, being soft spoken with you, the little picnic lunches he’d had with you at the pond, and now this…..I really misjudged him.  And I’m sorry.  And I hope you two are very happy together.”

“Thank you Denise,” Angel told her.  “That is very sweet of you.”

 

The morning flew by.  Jessie came to fix her hair.  She had a bit to eat before the ceremony.  Before she knew it, it was time to get dressed.  Dana and Rosita helped her get into her dress.  Rosita put the shoes on her feet, and slid the garter onto her leg.  Angel’s hands were shaking as Rosita gave her the bouquet.  There was a knock on the door, and it was Red.  “Everyone is ready and waiting, ladies, it’s noon.  Are we ready here?” he asked, just as Angel came down the stairs. 

Red smiled at her, “Well if you aren’t just a vision of loveliness.”   
“I’ve never been so nervous in my whole life,” Angel admitted.

“Well love, you just hold on to me,” Red told her.  “You are precious cargo, and I intend to safely deliver you.”

 

The ladies ran ahead, and started the CD playing “Ave Maria”, and Angel and Red stepped out the door.


	68. Chapter 68

Daryl and Rick were in the house getting ready for the wedding.  “You look good, brother,” Rick said.   
“Yeah?  I hope Angel thinks so.”  Daryl said as he picked up the tie.  Suddenly he realized he didn’t know how to tie it.  He’d never worn one in his life.  He just stood there, looking at it in his hand, feeling like a stupid redneck.  Rick noticed him standing there with a shameful look on his face.

“Daryl are you ok?”  

Daryl just shook his head no.  That’s when it hit Rick what was going on.  Daryl had probably never even owned a tie, and likely didn’t know how to tie it.  Speaking gently, Rick said, “You need a little help with the tie?”  Daryl nodded yes, not making eye contact.  Rick stood in front of Daryl as he tied it, and said, “I used a clip on tie for my high school graduation.  When I married Lori, I had to have my dad show me how to tie a tie myself.  There were a few guys at the station who still didn’t know,” he said, trying to ease Daryl’s upset.

“I just ain’t never had one.  Neither did my pa, and even if he did, he weren’t gonna teach me nothin’.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it.  Don’t think there’s much use for ties nowadays.  Kind of like high heeled shoes.”

Daryl knew Rick was trying to make him feel a little better.  He looked in the mirror, and was surprised.  He didn’t look half bad.  Still didn’t feel like he looked worthy of someone like Angel, but he didn’t look bad.  Rick saw him look at himself in the mirror, and stand up a little straighter.   _ ‘About time he realized he’s worth something,’   _ he thought.

Just before noon, Red came and got them from the house.  “This is it Daryl, are you ready?” Red asked.  Daryl looked at him and said, “Been ready since the day I asked her.”

 

He walked two houses down to where everyone in town was assembled, most dressed as well as they could be under the circumstances, and he was touched.  All these people came out in support of a smart, beautiful woman marrying a Dixon.  He never thought he’d see the day.  He walked down the makeshift aisle where Father Gabriel was waiting with a smile.  Red went to get Angel.  A few of the girls trotted out of the house, and took their seats as Rosita turned on the CD player.  The door of the house opened, and time stood still.

 

Daryl had never seen Angel look so beautiful.  He had always thought she was beautiful, every second of every day, but she was absolutely stunning.  She took Red’s arm and they walked down the porch steps, across the road, and up the aisle.  The closer she got, the happier they both became.  By the time she got to the front of the aisle, they both had huge smiles.

 

Father Gabriel did a lovely not-too-religious service (at their request), and since they were already wearing their rings, none were exchanged.  Before he could pronounce them husband and wife, Daryl asked if he could say something, to everyone’s surprise.  When he did speak, it was worth listening to.  Holding Angel’s hand, he said, “I ain’t gonna say nothin’ I ain’t told ya before, but I want everyone else to hear, too.  Ya my whole world, my whole heart.  There weren’t nobody before ya, and there won’t be nobody after.  I think I fell in love the second I laid eyes on ya.  Can’t imagine my life with anybody else.  Ya make me a better person, and make me wanna be a better person.  I’d lay down my life for ya, no questions asked.  Ya everythin’ ta me.  Never thought a Dixon would get someone like ya.”

There were sniffles throughout the crowd.  Angel simply smiled through her own tears and said, “Some things are meant to be.  We got separated twice and found each other again.  Meant to be.  And I think that a Dixon is a great thing to be.”  That was followed by giggles and a big smile by Daryl.

Father Gabriel said, “If there are any objections, speak now or forever hold your peace.”  People laughed as Daryl shot a glare at the crowd.  Father Gabriel smiled and said, “I now pronounce you husband and wife.  You may kiss the bride.”   
Daryl muttered, “About time,” then took Angel’s face in his hands, whispering, “I love you, Angel,” before leaning in and kissing her.  Daryl being affectionate in front of others was somewhat rare, so Angel was thrilled.  After a very unchaste kiss, everyone clapped, and Deanna announced, “Everyone over to my house for the reception!”   
  


Rosita and Abraham snuck over to Angel and Daryl’s place.  They put a bottle of champagne into a bucket of ice and two crystal glasses on a bedside table, then sprinkled rose petals all over the bed and scattered some candles around for them to light.  They put a little note on the bed that said, “Viva la romance!  Love, Rosita and Abraham”.  They made sure all the shades were pulled and put a big sign on the front door that said, “Do Not Disturb - Honeymoon in Progress!”  Then they snuck back to Deanna’s.  

 

Aaron stopped Daryl and Angel before they went to Deanna’s.  “Mr and Mrs. Dixon, can I take your wedding photo now?”

Angel smiled, “Of course!”  They walked back to the arch, and Aaron spent a minute arranging the train of Angel’s dress so that it swirled out towards the camera.  Then he had them hold hands and look at him.  “Um, Daryl?”  Aaron asked.

“What?”   
“I know smiling isn’t your thing, but this IS the only picture I have left, and it IS your wedding picture, and you DO love her….”   
Daryl looked at Angel and she said, “Please?  You have a beautiful smile that nobody sees enough.”   
Daryl rolled his eyes, but managed a smile.  For Angel.  To make her happy.  Aaron took the photo and left.  They were alone under the archway.  Daryl told her, “Ya look so damn beautiful today.  Why did ya leave the twine on the bouquet?  I told Tara to put some ribbon or something on it ta make it pretty.”   
“I told her not to touch it.   I liked it with the twine.  I can’t believe you thought of it.”   
“Weren’t nothin’.”   
“It was something to me,” she whispered.

“I’ll bring ya flowers every day if it makes ya happy.”   
“Just bring yourself home to me every day.  That will make me happy.”

 

The reception was great.  It was a big potluck, with everybody having brought food and drinks, and Deanna busting out her fancy booze and even champagne.  Daryl and Angel cut their mini cake in half and fed a bite to each other - neither of them were down with the whole smashing cake on each other thing that some people did.  After all, Daryl’s clothes were borrowed, and Angel’s dress was silk.  After the cake, everyone went back outside for the bouquet and garter toss.  All the ladies gathered on Deanna’s lawn as Angel tossed the bouquet over her shoulder.  Rosita caught it, and immediately all the guys started ribbing Abraham.

Then Angel sat down on a chair on the porch as Daryl slowly raised up her dress to get to her garter.  The higher the dress got, the more the guys hooted and hollered, then laughed as Daryl shot them a dirty look.  He tossed it and Carl, who was up on Glenn’s shoulders, caught it.

 

About an hour into the party, Daryl whispered in Angel’s ear, “Ya ready to get outta here?”   
“Definitely.”

They let Rick know that they were leaving so nobody would worry and snuck out the back door, running back to their house.  They laughed at the sign on the door, and Daryl opened it.  Before Angel could step inside, he swept her up in his arms.  “Daryl!  What are you doing?”   
“It’s tradition, Mrs. Dixon,” he said, carrying her over the threshold.     
She smiled and said, “I love being called Mrs. Dixon, especially by my darling husband.”   
“It’s gotta nice ring, don’t it?” he said, walking up the stairs with her still in his arms.

 

He set her down in the bedroom and turned on the light.  They were so surprised to see the champagne, candles and rose petals, and both chuckled at the note.  “Well,” Daryl said, “we can’t let all this romance go to waste, can we?”   
“Not at all, it would be rude.”   
He opened and poured the champagne while Angel lit the candles and turned out the lights.  They sat on the bed quietly drinking the champagne, and Daryl said, “M’sorry I didn’t think of all this romantic stuff.”   
“Hey, neither did I.”

“Wish I could take ya someplace fancy like Jamaica or something for the honeymoon.”   
“Why?  It’s full of walkers anyway.  Not very romantic.”   
Daryl chuckled at that.  “Suppose ya right!”

“Daryl, you don’t ever have to feel bad because you can't give me something you think I want.  I’ve got you.  That’s all I want.  Everything else that we have: this big ass house, the walls that help keep us safe, enough food and water….that’s just a bonus.  If I want anything else, I’ll let you know,” she said putting her arms around him.  “Okay?”

“Alright, babygirl.”

 

Angel saying that did put his mind at ease.  She was his princess and he wanted to give her the world, but all she wanted was him.  “Ya got me, sweetheart.  Forever.”   
He put his arms around her and began to slide the zipper down the back of her dress.  “Couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw ya walkin’ out the door in this dress.  Was like lookin’ at heaven.”   
“Believe me, I was pretty stunned to see you looking so handsome in a tie.  Classy bastard,” she told him as she started to undo his tie and pull it off his neck.

Helped her step out of her dress, then sat her back down on the bed, unbuckled the beaded straps of her shoes and pulled them off.  Kneeling in front of her, he looked her over, sitting on the bed in pink underwear, drinking champagne, and he smiled.  He stood, and Angel did, too, putting her glass down.  She started to unbutton his shirt slowly, placing a kiss on his chest after every button.  She finally pulled it off, running her tongue around one of his nipples and then the other, making him gasp.  She turned her big eyes up to him, “Good or bad?”   
“Good, real good.”

She had him sit and took off his boots and socks, then had him stand as she unbuckled his belt and undid his pants.  He never took his eyes off her.  Suddenly, he picked her up in his arms and swung her onto the bed, eliciting a surprised squeal from her.  “Always make the best sounds, babygirl.”   
Sliding his arms around her, he unhooked her bra and slid it off.  Smiling wickedly, he grabbed his glass of champagne and dribbled a little on her exposed nipples.  She giggled, saying, “Those bubbles tickle!”  He turned her giggles into soft moans as he dipped his head down and licked it off, making her nipples harden.  He drifted lower, dribbling some into her tiny little bellybutton and licked it out, getting hard at her moans.  He slid down her panties and opened her legs, emptying the last of his glass across her luscious pussy.  He dipped his head down and went to work.

She always tasted good, but the champagne sweetened her even more.  “So fuckin’ sweet,” he mumbled against her as she ran her fingers through his hair, holding him in place.  As if he was going to stop.

He pushed his tongue inside of her as deeply as he could, and felt her walls trying to tighten around it.  He did it again and again, fascinated by how it felt to have her walls trying to clutch onto him.  Angel was writhing and whimpering, trying to get him in deeper.  Daryl finally slid two fingers in her and started licking her clit, and her moan of relief was delicious.  He slid up her body, and Angel begged, “No, baby please don’t stop…”   
“Shh, I got ya babygirl.  Wanna watch you cum for the first time as my wife.  Wanna see that beautiful body move.  Everything is the first time again, Angel.”  He was sliding his thumb rapidly back and forth across her clit, as his fingers found her g spot and he pressed mercilessly against it.

Daryl watched her eyes widen in surprise, and then her body started to really move.  She was grinding herself down on his fingers, using her hands up against the headboard for leverage.  “Oh fuck, Daryl!  More!  I need more!”  He slid in a third finger and continued his assault, again feeling her walls tighten.  He whispered to her, “Cum for ya husband, babygirl.”

She cried his name as her body began to buck, Daryl buried three fingers deep into her, and trying to keep his fingers from being pushed out.

He watched her come undone for the first time as Angel Dixon.  He couldn’t help but feel a bit of pride that he was able to get her off every time.  When he’d told her they’d be fucking until they were 100 years old, he wasn’t kidding.  Up until he met Angel, he never even got with the same girl twice, never saw the point.  But now she was the only one for him.

He body began to still, just down to shivers and twitches.  He gently slid his fingers out of her, and licked them clean, her heavy-lidded eyes watching him.  She pulled Daryl down for a kiss, telling him, “I love you so much.”

 

He gently got on top of her, sliding his giant cock into her before she had completely come down.  “No, Daryl, not yet,” she protested weakly.

“Don’t worry, princess.  We’ll go nice and slow.  You just relax.  Let your husband do all the work this time.”   
He entered her as gently as possible as he rained kisses anywhere he could: her face, her neck, her shoulders.  Daryl stayed still inside her, loving the involuntary twitches and squeezes inside of her.  “Fuck princess, ya so warm and soft inside, could stay buried in ya forever.  Love ya so goddamn much, I don’t know how ta handle it.”   
Angel wrapped her legs around him, and said, “We got married.  I think you’ve handled it just fine.”

Daryl smiled down at her, sucking in a breath as she pushed up against him.  “Please move, baby,” she told him.  “I need to feel you.  Fuck your wife good and proper,” she said with a wicked smile.

“Damn right I will,” he muttered, pushing into her, “every goddamn day.”

Angel had her arms and legs around him as he pounded into her.  He suddenly flipped them so Angel was on top, telling her, “Ride me hard babygirl, nice and deep.”

Angel sat up on his cock, put her hands on his chest, and began to thrust herself up and down on his unit.  Her head was thrown back and a sheen of sweat was starting to appear on her skin.  Daryl loved seeing her like that.  His wild little angel, found in the woods.  Instead of grabbing her hips, he just gently placed his hands over hers on his chest.  She looked down at him, as he ran his hands up her arms to her neck, gently pulling her down to him.  “Love you forever, Angel,” he said before pressing his lips to hers, then gently slipping his tongue into her mouth, sliding in tandem against hers.  They had kissed this way at least a hundred times before, but it still always felt like the first time.

 

Angel suddenly broke the kiss as her back arched from the orgasm that blindsided her.  “Oh shit, oh Daryl, OH DARYL!”  When her cunt clamped down on him, it sent him over right after her.

“Yes, babygirl!  FUCK YES!” he shouted as he grabbed her hips, burying himself into her as deeply as possible, and spurting into her again and again.

 

Angel collapsed on top of Daryl, and he wrapped his arms around her tightly, still buried inside  her.  He rubbed his hands along her back, feeling every scar, and loving her no less for them.  Turning his head, he gently kissed her ear, asking quietly, “Ya ok there?”  Her muffled voice replied, “Fuck yeah,” and he chuckled.

“By the way,” Angel said, “did you cut your hair?”   
“Yeah, Jessie did.   Well, she just trimmed it.  I wanted ta look nice for ya up there.  And...Rick had ta tie my tie.  I didn’t know how.  Never had one.”

Angel thought that was probably both the sweetest and saddest thing she’d ever heard.  The shame and embarrassment was evident in his voice.  Pushing herself up on her arms, she said, “You didn’t have to wear a tie.  It would have been ok.  You didn’t have to wear any of those things you did.”   
“I wasn’t gonna be up there like some hillbilly when you looked like ya stepped outta one of them bridal magazines.  I still don’t think I looked good enough.”   
“Hey.  I didn’t marry you for your wardrobe.  I married you because I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Angel shifted, letting his cock slide out of her, and smiling down at him.  He looked at her critically.  “Ya tired, baby?  Ya look tired.  Didn’t ya sleep last night?”   
“Five girls in a house the night before a wedding means a lot of giggling and a lot of gossiping.  Not a lot of sleep.  And I feel like I just got hit by the tired bus,” she said as she flopped down next to him.   
“Well, we had a pretty busy day,” he said.

Angel sat up and took one more swallow of champagne.  “I’ll blow out the candles.”   
“No ya won’t, I got it.”

He blew out all the candles and climbed back into bed, and Angel snuggled into his side.  Daryl said, “Goodnight Mrs. Dixon.”   
“Goodnight, darling husband.”   
The giggled at their own stupidity, then Angel said softly, “I already love being married to you.”   
“Same here, babygirl.  Same here.”


	69. Chapter 69

Angel woke up feeling like she was on fire.  No wonder, Daryl was practically on top of her, and he put off so much body heat.  He was her cuddly little furnace.  Except for now.  Now he was her cuddly little hellfire.  She managed to roll him off of her without waking him up.  It was morning, early by the amount of light coming around the shades, and the relative quiet outside except for the chirping of birds.  She got up and peeked outside.  Yep, she could see just a few people outside getting ready for their day, and the kids yawning and rubbing their eyes on their way to the house that served as a school.  She turned and looked at Daryl and smiled.  He was sprawled on his back and starting to snore.  Angel walked down the hall to take a shower.

 

Daryl woke a few minutes later, reaching for Angel, but she wasn’t there.  He sat up, looking around the room, and then heard the shower.  He flopped back on the bed then thought,  _  ‘What the hell am I lying here for?  I got a hot naked babe in the shower and she’s all mine.’   _ He pretty much jumped out of bed and hurried down the hall, cock already semi hard and bobbing along.

 

He got in the bathroom and Angel was under the spray of water, head back, eyes closed, looking completely relaxed.  If only it weren’t the end of the world, he could get his hands on a camera and take a picture of her like that.  She didn’t realize he was even in the bathroom until he opened the shower door and stepped in behind her.  He slid his cock in between her smooth thighs and let out a groan.  He wrapped his arms around her and whispered into her ear, “Good morning Mrs. Dixon.”   
“Good morning to you, Mr. Dixon.  Is that a snake you’ve got between my thighs, or are you just happy to see me?”   
“Always happy ta see ya.  Damn girl, ain’t never known another woman that had this effect on me.  Always got a damn hard on for ya.”   
“Mmmm,” she leaned back against him.  “I like that.”   
  


Daryl slid his hands down from her waist.  With one hand, he gently opened her up, and with his other, expertly found her clit.  Angel let out a soft moan and Daryl smiled.  He kissed and licked his way along her neck and back as he gently rubbed her little button into hardness.  “Feel good babygirl?” he whispered in her ear in that voice of his that made her want to devour him.   
“Yeah….faster baby, please…”   
He sped up his fingers, cock still wedged between her thighs, slick with water from the shower and the moisture seeping out of her.  This girl would be the death of him, and what a way to go.  Angel was rocking and pushing against his fingers.  “Gonna cum for me babygirl?”   
“Every time, Daryl,” she whispered.  

She reached her arm back around his neck, breathing out, “Baby….”   
“I gotcha girl, let yaself go.”   
She let out a few more quiet grunts as she pushed against him, then a guttural groan as she came and her knees gave out, while Daryl held her up.  He had one arm around her waist and the other thrumming against her clit unrelentingly, rock hard cock still between her legs.  When she finally was able to stand, she didn’t waste a moment, bending over against the shower and spreading her legs for him.   
As soon as he was buried inside her, she closed her legs, squeezing him.  Daryl’s eyes rolled back in his head, and he exclaimed, “Holy fuck, girl!”   
Thinking she hurt him, she quickly opened her legs.  But he gently pushed them back together, saying, “Nuh uh.  Don’t’cha take that away from me, lady.  Fuckin’ tight as hell.”  Bracing her hands against the wall, she said over her shoulder, “Fucking pound me.”

 

He didn’t need to be told twice.  Grabbing onto her hips, he was like a man possessed.  He slammed into her hard and deep, grunting like a caveman, balls slapping loudly against her clit, and the shower raining over both of them.  Grabbing Angel by her long hair, Daryl pulled her upright and said huskily in her ear, “Do ya love me?”

“Forever, Daryl.”   
“Tell me.”   
Turning her head so she could look at him, she said, “I love you forever, Daryl.”

“Yeah?” he was barely holding on, as was she.

“Yeah.”

He pumped into her half a dozen more times, not letting go of her hair or breaking eye contact, before he cried out her name and shot into her.  As soon as she felt that first spurt of hot cum splashing inside her, it pushed her over the edge again.

They stood with her back against his front, and as soon as they caught their breath, Daryl turned her to him and held her tightly.  He tried not to think about how he had almost lost her, but it still crept into his thoughts sometimes, and he would get almost overcome.  This was one of those times.  

Angel realized that Daryl was sniffling.  “Baby, are you ok?” she asked, trying to pull away.  She only wanted to pull away enough to look at him, but he wouldn’t loosen his grip.  “I’m ok,” he sniffled.  “You don’t sound like it,” she told him, finally pulling away.  “What’s wrong, Daryl?  Did I do something?”   
“Oh no!” he said, horrified she would even think that.  “I just sometimes think about...what if ya hadn’t come back?”   
“Then you would have eventually found me,” she answered, without even missing a beat.  “I truly believe you would have eventually  found me, Daryl.  Rick told me you always went out with enough food and water for two, and with warm clothes for me.  You would have found me, Daryl, because you never gave up.  My mind was gone, but I knew which way to come home.  To come to YOU.  And remember that first day, when I threw stuff at you at the clinic?”   
“Yeah.  One of my worst days.  Couldn’t understand why ya was afraid of me.”   
“Well, I’m sorry about that.  But the look on your face hurt my heart.  I knew you were important, but I didn’t know why.  I knew you were important to ME.  We don’t have any guarantees in this world, so we shouldn’t be dealing in ‘what if’s’.  But if I got taken a hundred times, I know you would look for me every time.  And it’s not because you put a ring on my finger.  It’s because of who you are.  You don’t give up.  I know you looked for Carol’s daughter, Sophia, long after everyone else gave up.  You never gave up on Beth.  And you never stopped trying to find me.  And I’m not going anywhere.  I’m Angel fucking Dixon, and this is where I belong!”

Daryl couldn’t help but chuckle.  “That’s my girl.”

 

They got out of the shower and dressed, and Daryl made them breakfast.  Watching him cook always made Angel get that little smile, and that, in turn, made Daryl smile.  He decided to make pancakes, and he made them heart shaped for her.  Putting the plate down in front of her, she smiled and asked, “Why are you so sweet to me?”   
“Why wouldn’t I be?  Besides, heart shaped pancakes ain’t nothin’ big.  Wish I could give ya more….”   
“Stop.  I told you last night.  I’ve got you, that’s all I want.  I don’t need anything more.  Besides, there are things I wish I could give you, too, and I can’t.”   
“Like what?”   
“Babies.” 

Daryl grew quiet, looking down at his plate.  Finally he softly said, “Told ya a long time ago, it ain’t important.”   
“I know, but-”   
“NO BUTS!” he shouted, startling her.  Daryl took a deep breath, calming himself.  “Look, Angel, I’d be afraid ta have a kid.  Afraid I’d turn into my pa.  I know you seem sure I wouldn’t, but we don’t know.  Now if anythin’ were ta happen ta Rick, ya can be damn sure I’d take care of Carl and Judith, and try to be a daddy ta them.  But that’s just it.  We got a whole family here.  I got babies and little kids ta love on and play with.  I ain’t missin’ out, Angel.  We got plenty of kids.  Just because they ain’t blood don’t mean they ain’t family.”

 

Leave to Daryl to point out exactly what she had missed.  Judith loved her almost as much as she loved Daryl and everyone else.  Jasmine and Harlan’s babies recognized them and were always happy to see them.  And little Isabella loved everybody as well.  They were a community of good people, and a chosen family.  “Have I ever told you how happy I am you brought me to Alexandria, Daryl?”   
“Every day, girl.”

 

They decided to be lazy bums and go back up to bed.  Angel got in bed and Daryl went to the bathroom.  When he came back, he was carrying a bottle of lotion.  “Roll over on ya tummy, babygirl.  Gonna give ya a back massage.”

“What did I do to deserve such special treatment?”   
Daryl shrugged and remarked, “Ya married me.  Gonna spend the rest of my life worshippin’ ya.”

Angel just smiled and wondered how she got so lucky.  She rolled over on her stomach, and Daryl pulled the blankets down to her waist, straddled her legs, and rubbed some lotion into his hands.  Angel warned him, “This might make me fall asleep.”   
“That’s what I’m going for.  I know ya still tired.”   
  
He started at the small of her back, pressing his fingers deeply into the knots of muscles that she didn’t even know existed.  She let out a low, “Ohhhhhh,” and he said, “Yep.  Feels good, don’t it?  If I press too hard or hurt ya, let me know.”

Daryl worked his way through all the muscles in her back, working out the knots she didn’t even know she had.  Once those were out and she felt like a blob of jelly, he went over her back again, with gentle, soft strokes, lulling her into a relaxed state.  Before long, she was asleep.  He gently climbed off of her legs and laid next to her, one hand still gently rubbing her back.  He’d always loved the softness of her skin.  He watched her sleep and thought about what they’d said about babies.  He understood where she was coming from, but he really didn’t care that she couldn’t give him babies.  Hell, if she could have babies, she’d probably be married to someone else with a bunch of them.  And they’d probably all be dead, including her.  He never would have met her.  The end of the world sucked, that was for sure, but he knew he was a better man because of it.  And he’d only met her because of it.

Angel stirred a bit in her sleep, then scooted close to him and cuddled up.  He loved that about her.  She was always physically affectionate with him, but not to the point where it was  annoying.  He liked holding her hand, hers was so tiny compared to his.  He liked giving her kisses on her soft lips, and the way she would pull away and smile.  He liked the way she said his name.  He liked that she didn’t take shit from anybody, not even him.  He would never understand what she saw in him.

In her sleep, Angel mumbled something about margaritas with extra salt.  Daryl rolled his eyes and shook his head.  Crazy girl.

 

After their honeymoon, it was more or less back to the same old stuff in Alexandria.  One morning as Angel was getting ready for a shift in the tower, she asked Daryl if he could bring her some lunch later, as she was running too late to fix something and needed to relieve the night shift.  He promised he would, and set about gathering items to make her a nice hot lunch.

A few hours later, he climbed the steps to the tower with her lunch.  She turned and smiled at him.  “Daryl, when I asked you to bring me some lunch, I just meant a sandwich!  You didn’t have to go through all this trouble.”   
“Ain’t trouble.  I like cookin’ for ya.  Ya always appreciate it.”

 

He’d made and packed enough for the two of them so they ate together, Angel continuously scanning the road for anything unusual.  Suddenly, she sat up straight and peered out.  Someone was coming.  Daryl asked, “Is that a walker?”  Angel replied, “I think so…” and grabbed her binoculars.   Looking through them she said, “It is but...oh.  Oh no.  Oh my god...OH MY GOD!”   
“What’s goin’ on?”   
Shoving the binoculars at Daryl, she said, “Look!”   
He peered through them, “It’s a walker.  What the hell is in front of him?”   
“Look at what’s on his back!”   
“OH MY GOD!”

 

They both ran out of the tower at high speed, down to the gates, yelling for Spencer to open them.  He threw them open as others came running, hearing the yells.  Both Daryl and Angel ran towards the walker that started shambling quicker in their direction.

 

It was a walker that had been a very, very smart man.  He had rigged some guts into a bag on the stick that stuck just out of his reach, like a carrot on a stick on front of a donkey.  He had just kept walking in an attempt to get to that bag oblivious to any memory of what he had on his back.

 

A baby.

 

A very human, very alive baby.

 

This man had been a father.

 

As they rushed over to the man, Daryl said, “I’ll distract him, you grab that kid.”   
“Got it.”

 

They separated as they got close to the man, but he kept trying for one, then the other.  Angel was unable to get close enough, then the baby, confused by all the commotion and likely hungry to boot, started to cry.  That whipped the walker daddy into a frenzy as he spun wildly, trying to find where the sound was coming from.  In any case, they couldn’t shoot at the man, they might hit the baby.  Finally, Daryl pulled out his hunting knife, and cut his own hand.  Not much, but just enough to get the blood flowing.  That stopped the zombie daddy in his tracks as he zeroed in on Daryl.

Daryl waved his hand a bit, saying, “Yeah, that looks good, don’t it?  Ya did a good job, daddy, we’ll take good care of ya kid.”

Angel finally got close enough and snatched the baby out of the carrier.  The daddy turned to her, and Daryl stabbed him in the head.  They turned and ran back in the gates, with Daryl yelling, “Head to Rick’s!”  He knew Rick would have baby food and formula and diapers, and that little baby was likely in need of all three.  Rick had raced back ahead of them, and grabbed one of Judith’s bottles out of the refrigerator just as Angel came running in.  Taking the bottle, she put it in the baby’s mouth and it immediately started to eat greedily.  She asked Rick, “Diapers?”  he replied, “This way,” and led her into an upstairs room that must have been Judith’s.  Angel put the baby on the changing table.  Seeing as how it was wearing a little white shirt and light green pants, she didn’t know if it was a boy or girl.  Taking off the baby’s little pants, she opened up a fully loaded diaper.  Carl was just walking in with Judith and went, “Phew!”

 

It was a little girl.

 

Daryl walked in with his hand wrapped in a towel.  “A little girl.”   
Angel, busying herself with cleaning her up, just said, “Yep.”

Little Judith, who had been learning to talk, pointed and said, “Baby!”  The little babygirl heard Judith’s voice and turned to look at her, smiling around the nipple on the bottle.

 

Angel said, “I’m going to strip her to her diaper and check her out.  Someone needs to get Deanna.”  Deanna was way at the other end of the town, consulting with Abraham on the new gates, so Carl left Judith with Rick and went for her.

 

As Angel took off the baby’s shirt, a piece of paper fell out.  She opened it and read it aloud.  “Mom got bit and turned, and bit dad.  Dad wanted me safe, and is trying to find help while he carries me.  I am 5 months old, my name is Rose.”  She and Daryl just looked at each other.  Rose finished off her bottle, but was still hungry, so Rick got her a second one.  Angel sat down with the baby in the rocking chair, and gave her the second bottle.  Little Rose, with her shock of strawberry blonde hair and green eyes, looked up at Angel over her bottle.  Then her little eyes started to close.  Angel gave the half empty bottle back to Rick.  He decided to give her, Daryl, and the baby some peace and quiet until Deanna came and decided what to do.  But from what he could tell, Rose had just found her new family.

  
  
(For those interested, here is a link to the short film “Cargo” that inspired the discovery of baby Rose.  7 minutes long, and worth every second.     [ https://youtu.be/gryenlQKTbE ](https://youtu.be/gryenlQKTbE)   )


	70. Chapter 70

Daryl kneeled down next to Angel and looked at the baby, saying softly, “Hi, Rose.”  Her little eyes shot over to his and then closed.  He gently stroked her downy little head as Angel gently rocked in the chair.  Angel said, “She’s ours, Daryl.  We have a daughter.”   
“Ain’t up ta us.”   
“The hell it isn’t!  I will fight tooth and nail for her!  She is OURS.”   
Daryl wasn’t sure if he wanted that or not.  She really was awfully precious, but what if he got like his pa and hurt her?  As if reading his mind, Angel said quietly, “You would never do it, Daryl.  You never hurt Judith.  You would never hurt Rose.”  She looked up at him and said, “Rose Dixon.”

 

Daryl had to admit, it sounded nice.   _ ‘Hi, I’m Daryl Dixon.  This my wife Angel Dixon, and our daughter, Rose.’   _ He ran it through his head.  Daryl, Angel, and Rose Dixon.  It worked.  His wife was sweet as an angel, and this little baby was pretty as a rose.  Her daddy must have really loved her to do what he did.  Could he love her like that?  She weren’t kin, but neither was Judy, and he would protect her to his dying day.   
Yes.

Rose Dixon.

This little girl belonged to THEM.

“Ya right.  She’s ours.  We’ll turn the room down tha hall into  her nursery.  Gotta be another crib and stuff in this town, and if there ain’t I’ll get one.  Plenty of bottles.  We got a blender at tha house ta make baby food….”

Angel watched him as he made plans.   
“Hell, I could prolly take down a little tree an’ make her a crib myself…”   
“Yeah?”   
“Yeah.  Gonna give her the best I can.”  Angel stood up when he said that, still holding a sleeping Rose in her arms.  Daryl stood, and put his arms around the both of them  Family.  Home.  Yes.

 

There was a knock on the nursery door, and Deanna entered.  Seeing the sleeping baby in Angel’s arms, she just said quietly, “It’s true.”

They turned around, and Angel said, “Yes.  And she’s 100% ok, I examined her.  Slightly malnourished and tired, but otherwise ok.  Her name is Rose,” she handed Deanna the note.

After reading it, Deanna said, “Well, we’ll have to see about finding her a home.”   
Daryl stepped forward.  “She’s got a home.  With us.  We’ll take care of her.  We’ll be her ma and pa.”   
“Mr. Dixon, that’s very generous of you.  But wouldn’t you rather try for your own?”   
Angel spoke up.  “I’m unable to get pregnant.  I can’t have kids.  Rose is ours.  We’ll fight for her if we have to.”   
Deanna held up her hands.  “It won’t come to that.  If you are willing to put up with sleepless nights and no privacy, that’s fine.  Just be sure.”   
Daryl said, “That’s a small price ta pay.”   
Deanna smiled and told them, “I think you will make fine parents.”

 

News travelled fast, as it always does in small towns.  Within hours, everybody in town had met sweet little Rose, and Rose had a very good disposition, considering just about everyone wanted to hold her.  People checked their attics and garages, and another crib was found, cloth diapers were donated, and toys were handed down.  Daryl set up Rose’s crib in the other bedroom, and he and Angel just looked at each other.  He turned right around and pushed it down the hall into their room.  They weren’t sure how she would sleep and didn’t want to have to race down the hall if she cried.  They needn’t have bothered.  She was as good a sleeper as she was an eater.  Although she made some little baby noises during the night, and it made both Daryl and Angel jump up to check on her.

They split the days they worked so someone could take care of Rose.  Pretty soon, it was discovered that Maggie and Glenn were expecting.  So many babies!  The men started talking about going on a supply run.  There had been a Big Spot store not far from the town.  Maybe with some firepower and manpower, they could clear it and at least get some baby things if nothing else.  They would need more cloth diapers, baby bottles and the like.  

 

Daryl and Abraham offered to go, which upset Angel.  “You’re a new daddy, why do you have to go?” she asked.

“Babygirl, I’m one of the best shots in this whole town.  They need me.”   
“Well so does Rose.  And so do I,” she said miserably.

“Now come on, Angel.  I’ve stayed close for a long time.  We all have.  Me and Abraham are experienced with runs, and we’re taking some people with us who are, too.  How about if I bring ya back somethin’ special?”   
“Just bring yourself back, ok?”

 

Angel had confessed that baby monitors would be nice, although explaining one to Daryl was funny.  “It’s almost like a walkie talkie.”   
“What’s a baby gonna do with a walkie talkie?  She can’t even walk or talk yet!”   
“No, no.  You put one part in the baby’s room and the other in your room, and you can hear if they cry.  After all, she can’t stay in our room in her crib forever.”   
“But we’d hear her.  Hell, we jump if she so much as farts in her sleep.”

“Yes, but say we were downstairs?  Or out on the porch?  What if we couldn’t hear her then?”

“I guess that’s true.”

 

The day came and the team of men headed out.  They left in the morning and were gone several hours.  Angel felt uneasy the entire time.  She and Jessie sat on the porch, while little Rose crawled around, exploring and babbling.  They heard Daryl’s motorcycle, and Angel happily exclaimed, “Rose, Daddy’s home!” as she swept the baby up in her arms, and the baby laughed.  Daryl pulled up to the house as the others drew the trucks they had loaded up to the house they used for storage.  He stomped up the porch past her and slammed into the kitchen.  Jessie said, “I should get home…” and was gone.  Angel walked into the kitchen carrying the baby.  There  was a baby monitor on the kitchen island, the package smeared with blood.  “There’s ya damn monitor,” Daryl muttered.

“Daryl, what’s wrong?”   
“Not a damn thing.  Everything’s just rainbows ‘round here!”  He grabbed his crossbow.  “Goin’ huntin’.”

“But you just got back!”

He didn’t answer her, just left.

 

She followed him out the door helplessly.  What the hell was going on?  She saw Abraham walking by with his head hanging.  She called out to him and he came over.  He gave little Rose a smile and stroked her little head.  “Abraham, did something happen on the run?”   
“Yeah.  We lost someone.  Scotty.”   
“Oh no!  But he was a such a good shot!  What happened?”   
“We were already inside and we’re clearing the walkers we saw.  Those big places can be tricky though, lots of places for those things to hide.  About four of them just came out of nowhere and took him down.  I think Daryl blames himself because he was the one closest to Scott, but honestly, there’s nothing he could have done.  To be honest, if Daryl hadn’t had a gun, if he’d taken his crossbow...he probably wouldn’t have made it either.”

 

Angel had to go after Daryl.  She went upstairs and got her bow and arrows, and took Rose next door to Rick and Jessie’s, and knocked on the door.  “Could you guys watch Rose for a bit?  Daryl went out ‘hunting’.  i think I need to find him.”  Jessie took little Rose and asked Angel, “Are you armed?”  Angel lifted the bottom of her shirt.  She had a gun on one hip and a knife on the other, in addition to her bow.  “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”  Giving Rose a kiss, she headed out the gates.  Harold was at the gate today, and pointed out the direction that Daryl had gone.

 

Angel set to tracking him, it was easy, he hadn’t even tried to cover his tracks.  She had him in her sights in 20 minutes.  She took off her hoodie and tied it around her waist.  He wasn’t hunting, he was just staring into the distance, and had a flask of booze in his hand.  “Daryl?”  He stiffened at the sound of her voice but didn’t turn around.

“Go home, Angel.”   
“Talk to me, Daryl.”   
“Who the hell is takin’ care of Rose?”   
“Rick and Jessie are watching her.  Look, Abraham told me what happened.  It’s not your fault Scotty’s gone.  Hell, he said you were lucky to get away!”   
He still didn’t face her, just said coldly, “Go home, Angel.  I’ll be home later.”

“Dammit, Daryl!  What the hell is the matter with you?”   
He turned around and stalked to her, getting in her face.  “Right now, my problem is you, woman.  Go home before I make you regret comin’ out here.”

Angel was pissed. “Are you fucking threatening me?  What the fuck is your problem?”   
“Go.  Home.  NOW!”

“The fuck I will!  You may be my husband, but that doesn’t make you the boss of me, you asshole!”

 

Suddenly he was on her.  He had her pinned against the tree and was trying to sloppily put his tongue in her mouth.   
“Daryl!  Cut it out!”   
He ignored her.  She tried to push him away, and he stumbled backwards, taking her with him.  As soon as they hit the ground, he rolled over on top of her.  Kissing, licking, biting wherever he could, and pinning her arms above her head.  “Daryl!  Stop it!  You know we can’t out here!  It isn’t safe!”

“Fuck safe,” he said as his thrust his hips against her crotch.  As always, he was hard.  But this wasn’t like him.  Something was wrong.  His eyes.  It was like he wasn’t in there.  There was no warmth or love like there always was, it was just….empty.  “Daryl?”

He didn’t respond, just let go of one of her wrists to try to unbutton her pants.  She slapped him across the face with her free hand, hoping to snap him out of whatever this was.  He gave her a sick smile, and said, “That’s the way ya want it?  Fine.”  He flipped her over, pinning her arms beneath her.  She was squirming trying to get away.  Pushing the back of her shirt up and ripping it in the process, he bit painfully on her back, until he broke the skin.  He couldn’t be that drunk, what was going on?

He started to pull her shorts down and muttered, “Ya want the big Dixon cock lady?  Ya gonna get it!”

Holy shit.  His past was coming back.  She couldn’t believe she hadn’t seen this coming.  Everyone had PTSD.  And just about everyone had been to see Denise.  Except Daryl.  He was left to deal with it on his own, and now it was coming back to haunt him.

“Daryl, please! I love you, don’t do this!” she started to cry.

Daryl reached into his pants to pull out his cock, but when she started to cry, he immediately lost his hard on.  He gave it a few futile jerks, but it was useless.  He looked down.  He had Angel, the only woman he’d ever loved, pinned to the dirt by her neck, with her shorts and panties shoved down.  Her back was bleeding from a bite mark.  She was crying.  He was the cause of it all.

Through her tears, Angel said, “Please don’t rape me, Daryl.”

He jumped up and off of her, and scrambled backward so quickly he fell flat on his ass.  Daryl was horrified.  He whispered out, “Angel?  Baby?”   
Angel looked over her shoulder.  Seeing he wasn’t coming for her, she slowly got up, pulling her panties and shorts on.  She looked at him, at his eyes.  Her Daryl was back, and he was horrified at what he’d done.

“Oh Angel.  Shit.  Baby, I’m sorry.  I don’t know what happened.  I just…”

Angel held up a hand for him to stop.  She put her hoodie on to cover up her torn shirt, and brushed the dirt off of the front of her body and the side of her face.

“Stay away from me, Daryl.  And stay away from Rose.  Get some fucking help.”

 

With that, Angel turned and headed back.  When Harold let her in, he noticed she’d been crying, and asked, “Miss Angel, are you ok?”   
“I’m fine.  Daryl will be along shortly.”   
Heading straight to Rick’s, she knocked on the door, and Rick answered.  He’s answered with a smile, but it quickly faded.  He saw scratches on her face, and what he could see of her shirt was tattered.  “Oh my god, Angel!  Were you attacked by walkers?”   
“No, by Daryl.”

She took off her hoodie, and Rick could see just how bad it was.  Her shirt was filthy and torn.  When she turned to hang the hoodie over a chair, he saw blood on the back of her shirt and exclaimed, “You’re bleeding!”   
“He bit me.”   
“Daryl bit you?  OUR Daryl?  Daryl Dixon?”   
Getting annoyed, Angel said, “Yes!  The man I am married to!  He flipped out and tried to…..he tried to….” she couldn’t finish, and dissolved into tears.  Jessie had just put the girls down for a nap and was coming down the stairs.  Rick asked her, “Honey, could you get the first aid kit and a shirt for Angel?”

Jessie fetched the items, and they sat on the couch while Jessie tended to Angel’s bite mark.  She told them everything.  How it was like he wasn’t him.  How she thought it was linked to PTSD.  She didn’t tell them about Daryl being raped, she just told them that he’d brought up a personal incident from his past.  “I can’t stay in that house with him.  Neither can Rose.”   
“Of course not,” Rick told her.  “You can stay here with us.”  Jessie nodded in agreement.  Rick and Jessie, being a blended family with the most children (Ron, Sam, Carl, and Judith), had the biggest house.  Ron and Sam shared a room, Carl had a room next to Judith, and Rick and Jessie had a master suite.  Rick said, “Carl can stay in the nursery with Judith.  We can put Rose in the crib with her, and you can sleep in Carl’s room.”

“How about if I sleep in the nursery?  That way if Rose wakes up, I’ll be right there.”   
Jessie told her, “Sure, if that would be more comfortable.”

 

Daryl wasn’t back yet, so Rick went with Angel to get some stuff for her and the baby from the house.  Rose was just starting to cut a tooth, and Rick told her, “We have a teething ring at the house that she is welcome to.”  They were in and out before Daryl even walked in the gates.

 

After what happened, Daryl didn’t know what to do.  He had never hurt a woman in his life, and here he was hurting the one woman who loved him.  What the hell was going on?  It was like he saw it happening, but it was almost like it was on TV.  Like it wasn’t real, but it was.  Maybe Angel was right, maybe he needed to see Denise.  He picked himself up and headed back.  When he got to the house, it was silent, and felt colder, somehow.  He called out to Angel and got no answer.  He went to the bedroom and saw some of her stuff was gone, and Rose’s, too.  Where was she?

 

Daryl headed next door to Rick and Jessie’s.  Jessie answered his knock, and he asked, “Ya know where Angel and the baby are?  They ain’t at the house, and some of their stuff is gone…” he trailed off, looking at the floor, ashamed.   
“She’s here.”   
Daryl head shot up.  “I gotta talk to her.”   
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”   
“That’s my wife!  And our baby!”   
“Yes, and she told us and showed us what you did to her!  She’s here, she’s safe, and I don’t think you need to see her.”   
“Please, just for a minute…”   
Jessie was about to protest when Angel’s small voice was behind her, saying, “It’s ok.  I’ll talk to him.”   
Jessie looked uneasy, but just told Angel, “Me and Rick are just in the next room if you need us.”

 

Daryl looked at Angel.  “Baby, I don’t know what happened.”   
“I think I do. It’s PTSD from this world, plus you dredged up the rape in your past, plus Scotty’s death.  I think it was too much.  I’m still not sure what stopped you.”   
“You did.  Ya cryin’ did it.  Made me lose my hard on, and I’m glad it did.  That and you askin’ me ta not...not rape ya.”

Angel just nodded, unable to look at him.   
“Will ya come home? Please?”   
“No.  You need help, Daryl, and I can’t give it to you.  You should see Denise.”   
“No!  I don’t need therapy, I just need you!  Just come home, we can work this out!  Remember when I pushed ya that one time?  We worked it out!”   
“This is a lot bigger than you giving me a shove in the woods, Daryl!  And if I feel that I can’t trust you around my body, then I sure as hell can’t trust you around Rose!  Make a decision, Daryl.  Either go to therapy or don’t.  But try to choose wisely.  I don’t want to lose you.  But I don’t want to be afraid of you either, and right now I am.”

With that, she closed the door.

 

Two days later, Angel and Jessie were playing with Rose and Judith on the porch when Carl came running.  “Angel!  Daryl’s leaving!”   
“What do you mean ‘leaving’?”   
“He just pushed his bike to the gates, all loaded up.  He was telling dad he was leaving Alexandria!”

The women picked up the babies and rushed to the gate.  Rick was telling him, “I’m just saying you need to think about this, brother.”  And Daryl replied, “And I told ya I ain’t done nothing but think about it for the past two days!  I ain’t safe ta be around!  I don’t belong here!”

Angel said, “Daryl, what’s going on?”   
Rick took Judith from Jessie.  Daryl swore under his breath.  He’d pushed his bike to the gates in the hopes of avoiding Angel.  “I’m leavin’, girl.  Better for everyone if I do.”   
“Better?  For everyone?  Are you insane?”   
“I ain’t safe around people.  I proved that.”   
“So you were just gonna sneak out of here?  Leave your wife and child?  What kind of man does that?”   
She stepped in front of his motorcycle holding Rose.  “You aren’t leaving.  Turn this bike around and take it home.”   
“Yeah, what if I don’t want to?”   
Angel just looked at him for a moment.  Then she walked over to Jessie, handed her Rose, and climbed on the back of his bike.  “Ok, let’s go.”   
He turned around and looked at her.  Rose started to cry, reaching for the only mama she knew.    “Ya can’t just leave the baby behind.”   
“Why not?  It’s what you’re doing.  I’m just leaving a child.  You’re leaving a wife AND child.”   
Daryl looked away.  Angel got off the bike and stood next to him, taking his face in her hands.  “Daryl, you are NOT Will Dixon.  This can be fixed.  But only if you don’t run away.  You’re better than that, I know you are.  Don’t leave us.  Please, if you’ve ever cared for me, just talk to Denise.  Let her help you.  PLEASE.”

Daryl thought about it.  His dad had never abandoned the family.  So if he did, that made him a worse person.  He had a wife who was begging him to get help.  He had a little daughter that he had promised himself he would spoil.  What the hell was he thinking?   _ ‘My god, ‘  _ he thought to himself,  _ ‘maybe I really DO need help.’ _ __   
  


He got off the bike and started pushing it home.  He needed to see Denise.  Now.

 

He walked over to the house Denise and Tara shared and knocked on the door.  Everyone in town knew that Angel and Rose had moved to the Grimes’ house,  but no one knew why.  Denise opened the door.  “Oh, hello Daryl.  What can I do for you?”   
“Um, I need...help,” he told her, head down, hands in his pockets.

Denise opened the door wide.  “Why don’t you come inside and we’ll go in my office?  I have no other appointments today, so we have plenty of time.”   
  
Sitting there in her office, Daryl spoke more than he ever had in his life.  He told her EVERYTHING, from how his life was growing up all the way to attacking Angel.  He even told her about the rape.  He talked for four hours.  Denise let him talk for as long as he needed.  She noticed how angry he got when talking about his childhood.  She also noticed how he got a little smile when he talked about Angel and Rose.  He told her how, when he attacked Angel it hadn’t seemed real.

After four hours, he was exhausted.  He looked up at Denise.  “Can ya help me?  I can’t live without Angel.”   
“Why were you so willing to leave, then?”   
“I dunno.  I was thinking….I think I thought that if I left, she’d be safe.  That’s my number one thing.  Makin’ sure she’s safe.  It woulda killed me, but I’da left just to keep her safe.”

Denise took a breath.  “How do you feel after telling me everything you told me?”   
“Weird.  Kinda glad I got it out, but kinda nervous ya might blab it.”   
Denise chuckled.  “I take doctor/patient confidentiality very seriously.  Would you be willing to come talk with me every other day for a while?”   
“Yeah.  Whatever it takes.  Angel once said ya can’t say nothin’ unless I said it was ok, is that right?”   
“It sure is.  Not even to her.”   
“Ok.  Well, it’s ok to let Angel know that I’m talkin’ to ya.”  With that he got up and left.  If seeing Denise every other day is what it took, he’d do it for the rest of his life if he had to.  Anything for Angel.  Anything for Rose.


	71. Chapter 71

Daryl headed home after his hours long session with Denise.  He walked back into that cold, lonely house.  He saw a casserole dish on the kitchen island with a note.  At first he thought it was from Carol, but the note said, “Please be sure to eat some dinner.  Thanks for talking to Denise.  Love, Angel and Rose”.

He almost broke down from that.  After what he had done, and what he had almost done, she was still worrying about him.  She wasn’t trying to divorce him, hell, she was staying next door.  

He was actually too tired to eat, he didn’t realize talking could wear a person out.  He went up to the bedroom and laid in the bed that still smelled like her.  He got up and went over to Rose’s crib and pulled out one of her little blankies Angel had left behind.  He climbed back into bed: his head on Angel’s pillow and Rose’s blanket held against him, so he could smell both of his girls close by.  Then he was finally able to drift off.

 

Angel noticed that Carl seemed to love Rose just as much as he loved Judith.  When that little man grew up, he’d be a great daddy.  They sat in the kitchen one day feeding the babies, and 

Carl asked, “Angel, are you and Daryl divorcing?”   
“What?  No, of course not, I love him.”   
“Then why aren’t you with him?”   
Angel sighed and looked at Carl.  Only 16, and already he’d had to be a man so many times.  “It’s hard to explain, sweetie.  And really, it’s grownup stuff.  I know you’ve had to be a grownup, but I think you need to be a kid.  Just for awhile, anyway.”

Carl was quiet, then said, “Daryl really loves you.  Whatever he did, I bet he didn’t mean it.  But if he hurt you, I mean really hurt you….I’m glad you came to us.  We’ll always protect you.  You’re family, too.  And so is Rose,” he said, tickling Rose’s little bare feet and making her squeal with laughter.  Yep.  He would definitely make a good daddy.

 

Later that night, Angel took Rose up to put her to bed with Judith.  As she walked over to the window to close the shade, she saw Daryl doing the same.  They saw each other and froze.  Daryl gave her a little wave.  Angel waved back and pressed her hand against the glass, and he did the same.  His eyes were so sad, and she was sure hers probably were, too.  She dropped her hand and pulled the shade.

 

Daryl pulled the shade in his window, too.  He had been working like crazy since Angel left, taking as many shifts of everything as he could.  Anything to avoid being in that house alone, in that bed alone.  How long had it been?  A week?  Why did it feel like so much longer?  

 

The next morning, Angel was playing with Rose on the porch and Daryl came over.  Not knowing what to say to her, he gave his standard, “Hey.”   
“Hey.”

Angel came over and sat down on the steps with Rose, and Daryl sat down next to her.  Rose pointed at Daryl and babbled some baby talk nonsense, and Angel said, “Yep, that’s daddy.  Say hi to daddy,” then took her chubby little hand and waved it.  Daryl’s heart melted.  She still wanted Rose to know daddy.  “Do you want to hold her?” she asked.

“Yeah if you’re sure you’re ok with it.”

She handed him Rose and the baby immediately started grabbing at Daryl’s face, making him laugh.  He pulled her a little closer and she opened her mouth and tried to gnaw on his nose.  “No no, Rosie!  No biting!” Angel said.  “Sorry, she’s cutting a tooth.  Let me go get her little chew toy.”

Angel went into the house and pulled the teething ring out of the freezer, and went back out handing it to Daryl.  He gave it to Rose and she immediately put the edge into her mouth, drooling all over Daryl.  Angel got up again, “I’ll go get her a bib.”   
“Naw, I don’t mind.”

They sat quietly for a few minutes, then Daryl told her, “I been talkin’ to Denise.”   
“I know, she told me.  She said that you said it was ok to tell me that much.”   
“Yeah.  And I told her everythin’, from the earliest thing I could remember up to….when I hurt ya.  I swear to ya girl, I never meant it.  It was like I was seein’ it on TV or somethin’, like it weren’t real.”   
“It was very real for me!”   
“I know!” he told her and started to cry, not caring who saw him.  Little Rose saw daddy crying, and she started in.  Daryl held her close and said, “Shh, it’s ok Rose, don’t cry.”

Finally he let out a sigh and asked, “Angel….do ya still wanna be married ta me?  Because if ya don’t, I understand.”   
Angel couldn’t believe what she was hearing.  He wanted to divorce her?  “We haven’t been married a month and you already want out?  After all we went through to get here?”   
“Naw, babygirl!  I just...if you think this can’t be fixed-”   
“I never said that.  That’s why I wanted you to get help.  Because I think it CAN be fixed.  I still love you, I just can’t be with you physically until I feel safe again.”  Rose was asleep in Daryl’s arms.  “Here, I’ll take her in and put her down for her nap.”

“Can I hold her for a bit longer?  Please?”

“Yeah, ok.”

Daryl stood up and gently paced back and forth across the porch with Rose for a few minutes before handing her to Angel.

When she came back to the porch, he was still there.  He took one of her hands in his and said, “I’ll get better.  I’ll fix this.  Because I tell ya, I can’t stand ta be in that house without ya there.  I love ya, Angel.  Forever.”

And with that, he left.  No kiss or hug or goodbye, he just walked away, with his head down.

 

The next day, Daryl had a quick errand to run over in Licolnia.  The old strip mall with the jewelry store where he’d gotten Angel’s bracelet.  He got what he needed quickly and headed back.  Later he was visiting with Angel and Rose, like he did every day.  They were watching her explore the lawn, when Daryl told Angel, “Um, I got somethin’ for ya…”   
“You do?”   
“Uh huh.  Here.”   
He handed her the little star charm he’d gotten her so long ago, now on a new gold bracelet.     
“I kept meanin’ ta fix it for ya, but shit kept comin’ up.  Went down to tha jewelry store this mornin’ and got a new bracelet.”   
“You went by yourself?  Without telling anybody?  Are you crazy?”   
“Why?  Ain’t nothin’ happened ta me.”   
“But what if it did?  Jesus, Daryl.  You’ve got a wife and daughter to think about now!”   
“Yeah,” he told her standing up.  “A wife and daughter too afraid ta be alone with me!  By the way, you’re welcome.” 

Daryl stalked off to his appointment with Denise, absolutely fuming.  Talking it over with Denise though, she pointed out something he hadn’t thought of.  “If she’s that concerned about you, that means she still loves you.  She is still calling herself your wife and still calling Rose your daughter.  That’s a very good sign.”

 

A week later, Angel went to visit Denise.  “I still love him, and I hate being away from him.  But I’m still kind of scared.”   
Denise took a deep breath.  “Angel, I believe he will never hurt either of you.  He was holding on to a lot of stuff inside.  I’m sure you probably know most of it.  But he’s not anymore.  He got it all out.  He’s doing extremely well.”   
“Are you saying I should move back in?”   
“I can’t answer that, only you can.  But do I think you’d be safe?  Yes.”

 

That gave Angel a lot to think about.  She went to visit Rosita in the clinic.  Several cupboards were open and Rosita was there with a clipboard.  “Good morning, Dr. Espinoza,” Angel said.  “Doing inventory?”  Rosita turned and hugged her. “Yeah.  We need more baby meds.  Infant Tylenol, Benadryl, that sort of thing.  We’ve got Judith, the Wayne babies, and Rose, plus Maggie and Glenn are expecting.  We never had much to begin with, but with so many babies….”   
“Maybe we can do a quick run to the Big Spot.  It’s cleared now, and when they went last time, it  was more for baby accessories.  I bet Daryl and I could go and be back quick.  He can clear out over the counter stuff, and I can see if they have anything useful left in the pharmacy.”   
Rosita hesitated, looking at Angel.  Finally she asked, “Are you ok going with Daryl?  I don’t know what happened with you two, but I know you aren’t living together right now….”   
“It will be fine.  I just need to run it by him and let Deanna know.”   
  


Angel headed over to Deanna’s and spoke to her about it.  Deanna approved the run, agreeing that meds were always needed.  Now she just had to talk to Daryl.     
The reason she’d picked him was that they could go on the motorcycle and put what they could carry in backpacks and the saddlebags and get out quickly.  The bike was easier to move around herds of walkers, too.

She walked over to where Daryl was working with Abraham.  “Hey you,” she said with a small smile.   
“Hey yourself,” he smiled back.   
“Got a job for you, if you don’t mind working with me.”  She told him her idea.  He agreed that they could do it quickly, in and out, together.  They decided to go the next day, and they would see if Jessie and Rick could take care of Rose for the few hours they were gone.  However, on the way back to the house, Angel ran into Maggie and got to talking.    
“Would it be ok if Glenn and I watched her?” Maggie asked.

“Are you sure?  She’s teething and a little fussy.  We’re out of orajel, last night I had to rub brandy on her gums.”   
“Brandy?”   
“Yeah, Deanna gave it to me.  She said back in the day, that was what people did.  And then took a slug for themselves,” she laughed.   
“Even if she’s fussy, I think it would be ok.  We need to get used to it.  It will be great practice, and you know we’ll take care of her.”   
“Ok, well it should only be a few hours anyway.  I guess if you have any problems, you can always ask Jessie.”

 

The next morning, Daryl emptied out the saddlebags except for a bit of food and a couple of bottles of water, just in case.  They kissed Rose goodbye, strapped on their weapons, and rode off.  Angel forgot how much she loved riding with Daryl.  If the roads were clear, he would put one hand on the handlebars and one on top of her hands, clasped around his waist.  It didn’t take long to make it to the Big Spot, and they entered quietly.  It looked exactly the way they had left it, with flies buzzing around the dead walker bodies.  They grabbed a few grocery bags from the registers and went straight to the baby department, taking every med off the shelves, working quickly and quietly.  When they got to the pharmacy, it had a metal cage door blocking it from the rest of the store, with 2 dead pharmacists shambling about.  Daryl told her, “We didn’t see a reason to waste bullets on ‘em last time, seeing as how they couldn’t get out.”  There was a padlock holding the gate shut, so Daryl ran over to the hardware department and got some bolt cutters.  As soon as he opened it, they walkers came straight for them.  Since the guns had silencers, they took them out easy.     
They went through the pharmacy grabbing as much stuff as they could….they would have to come back.  Daryl went back to the hardware department for a new padlock to lock it up with.  Sure if people came through, maybe they would cut it, but it was the best they could do.  “We’ll need to come back for the rest of this, and regular over the counter stuff as well.  With a car.  I just wanted to get baby stuff quick today, in case we aren't able to come back or another group comes looting,” Angel remarked.   
“Yeah, that was a good call.  Ready ta get outta here?”   
“Yeah, this place gives me the creeps.”   
  
They headed out and quickly put the full shopping bags of meds into the saddlebags.  Angel looked up at the sky, it was darkening quickly.  Daryl looked up as well and said, “We’re prolly gonna get rained on a lil’ bit…”   
As if on cue, the skies opened up.  This was not a “lil’ bit”, it was a downpour.  “Dammit!” Angel cursed, getting on the bike.  They drove for a few minutes, but Daryl could barely see the road through the rain.  They would need to find a place to stop.  Daryl suddenly perked up, and told her over his shoulder, “I know where we can go!”   
He started driving through the woods. Suddenly, Angel said, “Is that what I think it is?”   
“Yep!  Still standin’!”   
  
It was the cabin Angel had hiked to after the Home Depot disaster.  Still there, thank god.  “I ain’t too worried ‘bout them things trackin’ us with the rain and all,” Daryl told her as they pulled up.  It was true.  The rain washed away scents of people and the noise confused the walkers to no end.  They checked the cabin quickly, and it was still empty and dusty, the only footprints were the ones left by Angel, Daryl, and Rick so long ago.  They decided to push the motorcycle inside with them.  Once they did, Angel lit the lantern, and Daryl busied himself making a fire.  Once it got going, he looked at Angel, dripping wet and shivering.  He didn’t want her to get sick again, so he told her, “Get them wet clothes off, I’ll get them blankets we used last time.”  Angel slowly peeled her wet clothes off, feeling miserable, and crouched down by the fire in her underwear.  Daryl found the blankets from before.  Shaking the dust off of one, he wrapped it around Angel, telling her, “Gotta take off ya drawers too, darlin’.  Give ‘em a chance ta dry.”  He turned his back to her and took off all of his clothes, shaking out the other blanket and wrapping it around himself.  when he turned back, she was scooting the chair closer to the fire, then started draping both of their clothes on it.  Daryl watched her for a moment, then went and got the food and water out of the saddlebags.

They ate quietly, then Angel said, “I miss Rose.  I bet everyone is wondering where we are.”   
“Nah.  With this rain, they’ll know we had ta hole up somewhere.  I miss Rose, too.” He then added under his breath, “Miss both of ya.”

Angel was quiet, then said, “I don’t sleep very well without you.”   
“Me neither.  Been sleepin’ on ya pillow with Rose’s little blanket nearby.  It’s like I can’t sleep unless I convince my brain that ya still there.”   
“I miss you, Daryl.”   
“Miss ya too, babygirl.”

Angel turned to him.  “Do you realize it’s been weeks since you called me that?”

“Yeah.”

“Daryl, I don’t like this.  I hate being away from you.”   
“If ya wanna come home, ya can.  I want ya there.  And I been thinkin’ about it.  Maybe, if ya still nervous, we can move Rose’s crib to the other room since we was plannin’ to anyway.  And there’s a bed in there, so you can stay there, too.  The door’s gotta lock on it.  Ya can stay in there overnight with Rose and not be afraid.  I was plannin’ on talkin’ to ya about it.  I mean, it’s just an idea….”

Angel reached for him, and the firelight caught her star bracelet.  He took her hand and said, “I didn’t know ya were wearin’ it.”   
“Since you gave it back to me.  And since I never said it, thank you.”

  
Taking a chance, he moved closer to her, and wrapped his blanket around the both of them, and Angel melted against him.  He whispered in her ear, “Love ya, babygirl.”   
She pulled away and his heart broke. But then she stood, dropped her blanket, and said, “Show me.”


	72. Chapter 72

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super smutty!

Daryl was on the floor, looking up at his naked Angel.  Unsure if he heard her right, he asked, “What did you say?”   
She gave him a smile and replied, “I said ‘show me’.  Show me how much you love me, Daryl.”

 

He stood and dropped his blanket as well.  He stepped to her, took her face in his hands, and kissed her for the first time in weeks.  He hadn’t kissed her since the morning of the run.  He’d kissed her goodbye.  The day he….no.  He wasn't going to think about that.  Never again.

 

He backed her up against the wall, and pulled away long enough to say, “Come home.”  She responded, “Convince me.”

Daryl wrapped one hand around her waist, and  the other skated down her body, passing so lightly over her nipples it was almost painful.  As it moved past her stomach, she adjusted her stance, opening her legs for him.  “That’s right,” he whispered.  “Ya know just what I’m goin’ for.  Ya know what I want, know I’ll make ya feel good…”  He slid his hand between her legs, fingers rubbing gently along her labia, making her gasp.  She was already wet for him, like always, and he slowly slid a finger inside her, watching her face.  Angel looked at him and smiled.  “That feels good, Daryl, but I want more.”

Instead of entering a second, he put three fingers into her, making her gasp.  He paused and asked, “Ya alright, babygirl?  Too much?”

She shook her head no, her eyes slid shut, and started pushing herself down against his hand.  He held her tightly around her waist, knowing that when she came, her legs would give out.  He curled his fingers inside her, and gently pressed against her g spot.  Her eyes flew open and she hissed, “Yes, baby, please…”

Daryl kept his fingers pressed against her, but didn’t move them.  Angel started squirming, trying to get more pressure against it but couldn’t.  “Uh uh, little girl,” he breathed in her ear, sending shivers down her spine.  “Ya want it, don’t’cha?  Ya do, I can feel it.  Feel ya quiverin’ around my fingers, practically drippin’ down my hand…”  He gave her a small, quick stroke, and she let out a loud moan, drowned out from the outside world by the pounding rain.

“Daryl,” she begged, “please…”   
“Ya comin’ home?  Say yes, babygirl, and I’ll getcha off good.”  He was being evil and he knew it.

“Daryl….I don’t know….”   
“Not what I wanna hear darlin’.” He started to slide his fingers out of her, and Angel grabbed at his wrist trying to force his fingers back in.  She was begging him, “No, please…”   
Slowly, he slid his fingers back in, and pressed them a few times against her g spot, causing her to buck against him.   
“Say it, say ya comin’ home.”   
“Daryl….”   
“Say it, girl.  Say it if ya wanna cum.”   
“Daryl, please!”

“Last chance, babygirl.”  He gave her g spot a few quick strokes, then stopped, pressing against it every few seconds, but not enough to get her off.  He watched her losing control, unable to cum.

“Daryl…”   
“Gonna count ta three.  Come home, and I’ll getcha off. Say no again, and I stop.  Best make a decision, little girl.  One….two…”   
“YES!  PLEASE!!!”

Breathing hotly in her ear, he rubbed against her little bundle of nerves only a few times when she exploded.  He was glad he had a good grip on her.  Her back arched against the wall, her legs gave out, her head went back, and she let out a long, low, guttural growl that quickly turned into an orgasmic wail, as her legs shook.  “Good girl,” Daryl whispered in her ear, “such a good little girl….”

As soon as she got her land legs back, Daryl fell to his knees in front of her, and threw one of her legs over his shoulder, diving in between her legs face first before her orgasm was even done.  Pushing his fingers back into her and pumping fast and hard, he started sucking on her clit, determined to make her cum again.  Her pussy and thighs were slick already with her cum, and he was surrounded by her scent, driving him like a wild man.  Angel cried out, “No, too sensitive,” but then wrapped her leg around him, keeping him in place.  She grabbed a handful of his hair and started to ride his face, and he was loving every damn second of it.  He felt her thighs shake, then she came all over his face, screaming his name over and over.  

Daryl was in heaven.  There wasn’t anything he enjoyed more than making Angel lose herself.  Her legs gave out again, but he already had a hold of her.  He picked up her limp body in his arms and laid her down in front of the fire, stroking her hair gently as she tried to get her breathing back to normal.

Daryl gently kissed her forehead, and she looked at him.  He told her, “Ya don’t really gotta come home if ya ain’t ready.  I would never make ya do nothin’ ya don’t want.”

Angel sat up, and pushed him over on his back, without saying a word, then crawled down his body, taking his hard cock into her mouth.  He gasped out, “Fuck….”  His babygirl always gave epic head.  

She slid him all the way down her throat, and then bobbed shallowly, never letting him completely slide out of it.  Daryl tangled his fingers in her hair, pushing it out of the way so he could watch her work.  Angel suddenly let his hard unit slide out of her mouth.  Daryl begged her, “Baby, no, please…”  She grasped him firmly and started to stroke him, dipping her head underneath, and taking one of his balls in her mouth, sucking and rolling it gently with her tongue.  Daryl groaned out, “Ohhhhhh yeahhhhhhhhhhh…………”  She let it fall out of her mouth, and did the same to the other one, hearing Daryl suck in his breath.  

Angel opened her mouth as wide as she could, and sucked both balls into her mouth, still stroking Daryl, and felt them tighten up immediately.  He cried out, “Ah...AH!  AH FUCK!!  ANGEL!!!” He couldn’t help himself, he blew his load all over his chest and stomach.  His body was jerking over and over with each burst of cum, and he was grunting animalistically with each shot.

Once his jerking subsided, she gently let his balls slide out of her mouth.  Looking up at him, she slowly licked the cum off of his stomach and chest.  Licking the last bit, she left her tongue hanging out so he could see the cum collected on it.  He roughly pulled her up to him and sucked her tongue into his mouth, swallowing his emission.     
Angel looked at him, and softly said, “When we get back, Rose and I are coming home, on one condition.”   
“Name it.”   
“You continue seeing Denise, for as long as she says.”   
“Anythin’ for the both of ya, babygirl.  I love ya so much.”

“I love you, too, Daryl.”  She stood up and spread one blanket on the floor, a little closer to the fire, and he scooted over onto it.  She laid next to him and pulled the second blanket over him.  “Let’s get some sleep, handsome.”  He pressed up against her backside, tucking his dick in between her ass cheeks, like some sort of Daryl dick sandwich.  She moved a tiny bit, and he moaned, “Ohhh….”  His cock immediately getting hard all over again.  It was gonna be a long night.

 

Maggie was rocking little Rose while she fed her, she hadn’t been fussy at all.  When she was done, Glenn put a fresh diaper on her and held her for a while.  Angel and Daryl hadn’t come back from the quick run they had gone on.  Maggie asked, “Do you think they’re ok?”   
“I’m sure they’re fine.  They might have had to stay in the store overnight with the way the rain is coming down.  I doubt Daryl would drive in it.”  Glenn looked down at Rose, fast asleep in his arms.  Rosita had “broken into” Daryl and Angel’s place (not hard, as Alexandrians rarely locked their doors as the threats were outside the gates), and she and Glenn had brought over Rose’s crib, along with some other things.  Maggie and Glenn took Rose upstairs to their room and laid her gently in her crib, then climbed into their own bed.

 

Back at the cabin, Daryl was on top of Angel.  Her legs were wrapped around him, his fingers interlaced with hers, as he thrust into her again and again.  That was the best thing about Daryl, he never did anything halfway.  When he fucked you, he fucked you with his whole body.  His face was buried in her neck and the only sounds in the cabin were their heavy breaths and quiet moans.  Daryl was kissing and nipping at her neck, causing her breath to hitch.  He whispered in her ear, “Never again, Angel, I promise.”   
“Shhh, it’s ok, baby.”

He raised his head out of her neck and looked at her, stilling inside of her.  Every now and then, he would just get overwhelmed with the fact that she was with him.  This was one of those moments.  Softly, Angel said, “Daryl?”  His lip quivered and he tried to cover it by ducking his face back in her neck, but she pulled his head back out.  “It’s ok, baby,” she told him.  He started thrusting into her again with tears in his eyes.  She knew.  She understood.  She got him.  How did he get so lucky?  He rammed her hard and deep and she thrust her hips up to meet him, gasping, “Don’t stop…”  He couldn’t if he wanted to.

Daryl slid his hand down between them and his fingers rapidly circled her clit.  He was close, but he wanted to get her off first.  His babygirl.  His Angel.  His wife.

Feeling her tightness flutter around him, he gritted his teeth, and growled softly, “Come on, babygirl, give it to me.”

Angel’s back arched against the floor, her eyes squeezed shut, her pussy clamped down on his hard cock, and she cried out.  If it weren't for the storm raging outside, he would have worried about the noise.  Instead, as if helping them along, the storm picked up just as Angel started to cum.  The rain intensified, some drops coming down the chimney and sizzling as they hit the fire, and a loud crash of thunder clapped overhead.  Every muscle in Angel’s body was tightened up, and she screamed, “YES DARYL!!!!  FUCK YES!!”  He drove into her as deeply as he could, shooting his cum inside her.  “FUCK BABYGIRL!!!  GOD YES...oh Angel….babygirl…”

 

He all but collapsed on top of her, breathless.  Angel whispered in his ear, “Don’t ever stop fucking me, baby.”   
“Never.  Told ya, gonna be fucking when we’re 100 years old.  Don’t care if I got arthritis and erectile dysfunction-”   
Angel cut him off, laughing.  “Maybe we should start looking for Viagra now?”

Daryl raised his head up and looked down at her, smiling.  “I don’t need Viagra.  I got you.  Much better.”   
Angel’s eyes were slowly closing.  “Get some sleep, babygirl.  Gonna get a drink of water, and be right back.”   
He walked over and picked up the bottle of water, taking a drink while he looked at Angel.  He had pulled back the blanket, exposing the back of her naked body.  Between her legs, he could see his cum slowly dribbling out of her pussy.  His cock twitched.   _ ‘Down boy,’   _ he thought to himself.   _ ‘Time for sleep.’ _

He put another log in the fire, and checked the wet clothes, which were almost completely dry.  No doubt they would be by morning. Laying down behind her, he covered them both with the blanket.  Curling himself protectively around her, she snuggled back into him, and they both quickly fell asleep.

 

Angel shot awake in the morning to noise in the cabin, but it was just Daryl getting dressed.  The storm had passed, the birds were chirping cheerfully outside.  Daryl leaned over and kissed her.  “Mornin’ sleepin’ beauty.  Was just about ta wake ya.  Storms gone, no walkers outside.  Soon as ya get dressed we can hit the road.”  Angel stood up and stretched her naked body, and Daryl blatantly checked her out.  As much as he wanted to bend her over the old chair and fuck her some more, he wanted to get home.  Smiling, Angel just said, “Yeah, I want to get home to Rose, too.”

They dressed quickly,and double checked for walkers outside the cabin, then pushed the bike outside.  She climbed on the back, and just before he kickstarted it, she leaned forward, kissed him behind his right ear, and whispered, “Let’s go home.”   
  


They rode back to Alexandria, right up to the clinic and brought in all the meds they had grabbed.  Angel told Rosita about how there was so much more, they would need to talk to Deanna about a supply run, and how they had locked the pharmacy cage shut.  “Did you guys take shelter in the store?” Rosita asked. 

“No, we were just about to leave when the rain started.  We didn’t know how heavy it would get.  Daryl took us to the cabin we had stayed in after the Home Depot disaster.  It was still untouched, so we made a fire and stayed there for the night.”  Angel told her, then added in her head,  _  ‘We also fucked like porn stars.’   _

 

They headed over to Maggie and Glenn’s to pick up Rose.  Maggie told them that when they didn’t come back that Glenn and Rosita had “stolen” Rose’s crib and baby things from the house.  “She was such a good baby,” Maggie told her.  “Not fussy at all.”    
“But,” Glenn added, “she seemed to learn a new word.”   
Daryl and Angel’s face lit up, and Angel said, “What word?”

Glenn handed Rose over to Daryl and said, “Dada.”   
As if one cue, Rose started chanting, “Dadada….dada...dadada!”  

Daryl’s face started out shocked, then smiled the biggest smile ever.  Angel knew that most babies say “dada” before they say anything else.  Her heart just filled for Daryl, holding little Rose in his big, burly arms, and saying softly, “Yep, I’m your dada, sweetheart!  I’m your dada….”

 

They headed home. Rose in her dada’s arms, Glenn and Angel behind him carrying the crib and baby accoutrements.  Once they were alone, and Daryl was bouncing the baby on his knee and making her giggle, Angel stood and said, “I’m going to Rick’s.”  Daryl head whipped around, full of sadness and panic.  She smiled at him.  “I’m going to bring our stuff home.”  And Daryl breathed a sigh of relief.

At Rick’s he talked to her about going back.  Asking her if she was sure, if she was safe.  “I believe I am, Rick.  If I had any doubts at all, I wouldn’t let him around Rose.  We talked a lot….and I miss him.  He’s still my husband.  I still love him.”  Carl offered to help her carry the things back to her place, grabbing the high chair and some toys.  When they got to the house, Carl went to the kitchen to set it up, and Daryl put Rose in it, opening the refrigerator to get some baby food and feed her.  Angel went upstairs to put the other things away, and Daryl turned to see Carl glaring at him.  “What’s on ya mind?” He asked as he started to feed Rose.

“I don’t know what happened to her,” Carl began.  “I don’t know what you did to her.  But it was bad enough for her to leave the house.  I heard dad and Jessie whispering about it.  I know that you did something to her to make her bleed.  I saw the bandages in the garbage can.  If you ever do that again….”   
Daryl looked up at him.  “Yeah?”   
“You’d better not.  That’s all.”

Daryl could tell Carl was a little scared at having basically threatened Daryl, but Daryl respected it.  The little guy was standing up for Angel.  He nodded at Carl, telling him, “Fair enough.  And I’ll deserve every damn thing that I got comin’ ta me.  Don’t think I don’t know that.”

Angel heard everything from the top of the stairs.  She was touched by Carl’s protectiveness.  She was also amazed by Daryl’s admission of guilt, and how he knew he’d be deserving of punishment.  Then she mentally kicked herself for not burying those bandages in the bathroom garbage, it had never even crossed her mind.  

Suddenly Daryl shouted, “Hey Angel?  We got any more applesauce?  She already finished this one.”  Smiling, she headed down the stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only ONE chapter left!


	73. Chapter 73

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINAL CHAPTER!

Rose ate two whole jars of applesauce.  As Daryl picked her up out of the high chair, she let out a loud, wet belch, right in his face.  He turned his head, saying, “Aw damn, Rosie!”  Rose just laughed, as did Angel and Daryl.  “Right in my face, too,” Daryl said.  “Ya lucky ya so damn cute, kid.”  The baby laid her head on Daryl’s shoulder, stuck her chubby little thumb in her mouth, and closed her eyes.  He gently rocked her as he paced in the kitchen.  Angel wished she had a camera.   
She softly said, “We’ll have to tell her one day.”   
“Yeah, I know.  She might figure it out before we tell, though.  After all, her mama’s got brown hair and eyes, her daddy’s got dirty blonde hair and blue eyes, and she’s got red hair and green eyes, she’s gonna be heart-breaker, that’s for sure.  But yeah, we’ll tell her.  Tell her that her….her real daddy was smart and loved her a lot.”  Angel could tell that it pained Daryl to refer to Rose’s biological father as her “real” dad.  “Daryl, you’re more her real dad.  He’s gone and never coming back.  But you’re here, and you’re feeding her and caring for her.  That’s what a daddy does.  Once she gets older, I know you’re going to be getting up when she has a nightmare, and kissing her boo boos, and reading to her before bed.”   
Daryl got a little smile.  She was right. He actually couldn’t wait for all that, and at the same time, he wanted her to always be a baby that would need him.

 

That night they set up the baby monitor.  Daryl told her that he had seen one with a camera and thought it was too much, but now he thought maybe he should have gotten it.  “Baby, this is fine,” Angel promised him.  “She’s just down the hall.”  Rose slept through the night.

 

After a few days, Angel had to take some night shifts in the tower while they juggled the schedule.  Maggie was getting farther along in her pregnancy and needed to rest.  Until they could get everything settled, Angel offered to take the 8pm to midnight shift.  She made sure that Daryl would be ok with Rose by himself.  Showing him how to clean her up and change her diaper was comical.    
“Okay so put her on the changing table her, lay her back.  Now open her diaper.”  Daryl just looked at her.  “Daryl, open her diaper.”  He undid the pins, and pulled it open, and that thing was loaded and deadly.     
“Jesus Christ!” He exclaimed.  “What the heck are we feeding her?”   
“Don’t act like that!  She’ll think she did something wrong.”   
“Well, she didn’t do somethin’ right...”   
“Daryl!  You don’t exactly poop rose petals and rainbows either!”

“Alright.  Well, now what do I do?”   
“Get a baby wipe and clean her up.  Be sure to wipe her from front to back.”   
Daryl just looked at her.  “Um…”   
“Get a baby wipe and clean her up.  She can’t do it herself.”   
He took a baby wipe and barely dabbed at her privates.  Angel asked him, “Is there a problem?”   
“Well...is it legal for me ta touch her like that?”

Angel started laughing.  “Yes, it’s fine!  She needs to be cleaned.  Rick does this for Judith, and so does Carl.  It’s part of having a baby in the house.  You’ve got to be ok with changing her diaper, giving her a bath, changing her clothes.  Welcome to fatherhood.”

It took him a few minutes of encouragement from Angel, while Rose just laid there and sucked on her own toes contentedly.  Daryl smiled and told her, “Ya keep eatin’ them toes, ya won’t be hungry for lunch.”  Finally he got her cleaned up and into a fresh diaper.  “Good job, daddy,” Angel said, kissing him on the cheek.  Daryl was pretty proud of himself.  He was afraid he was doing something wrong by handling her like that, but it was like Angel said, she couldn’t do it herself, and he sure as hell didn’t want to leave her in a dirty diaper until mama got home.  That wouldn’t make anyone happy.

 

The next night, Rose was put to bed, and Angel went for her shift in the tower.  It was uneventful, just saw a few rabbits and squirrels that were sneaking around in the dark.  At midnight, Sasha came to relieve her and she headed home.  She was utterly exhausted.  Falling into bed next to Daryl, they had just curled up together when the baby monitor came to life with Rose fussing.  Angel sighed and moved to get up, but Daryl told her, “I got it. Getcha some sleep.”  Angel smiled gratefully and closed her eyes.  She could hear Daryl talking softly to Rose on the monitor.  “What’cha fussin’ about, sweetheart?  Shhh, daddy’s here.  Let’s getcha in a clean diaper and getcha a bottle, that sound good?”   
Angel dozed off and woke up 30 minutes later, reaching for Daryl, but he wasn’t in bed.  She walked to the bedroom door and found him pacing the hallway with Rose on his shoulder, out cold.  She whispered, “She’s out like a light.”   
“Yeah, was just about to put her down.  I really like holdin’ her.”

Angel gently touched her soft little head and said, “She’s a daddy’s girl for sure.”

They put Rose down and got back into bed, and Daryl told her, “I’ll take care of her in the mornin’ so you can get some sleep.”   
  


The next morning she woke and could hear the shower going.  She could also hear what sounded like Daryl...singing.  Creeping quietly down the hall, she peeked in the bathroom.  There was Daryl taking a shower with Rose in his arms, and singing “My Girl” to her softly.  Rose seemed more interested in the tattoo and hair on his chest than anything else.  Opening the door all the way, Angel said, “Good morning.”  Daryl turned around and said, “Look Rosie. It’s mama.”  Rose was far too interested in trying to pull out his chest hairs to acknowledge her.  Angel smiled and asked, “Why are you in your boxer briefs in the shower?”   
“I ain’t got no swim trunks.”   
“Daryl, when she’s this tiny, it’s ok.  It’s kinda the same thing with changing her diaper.”   
“Just don’t feel right ta be all naked around her.”

“Alright.  If it makes you uncomfortable.”

Grabbing a clean towel out of the cabinet, she took the baby from his arms, sat her on the counter and started drying her off.  Daryl let her know that she’d already had her breakfast, and Angel thanked him for letting her sleep in.  He had to go off to work on the expansion of the fences, and she would stay home with Rose for the day.  Poor thing was still teething and was tired and cranky, but some baby Tylenol and Orajel calmed her down.  Angel and Rose sat on a blanket with her in the living room for most of the day, playing with her toys.  Rose would babble and chatter.  At one point Rose looked at Angel and questioned, “Dada?”  Her heart melted and she told her, “Dada is at work.  He’ll be home later.” That seemed to satisfy the baby, and she went back to chewing on her teething ring.

Daryl stopped by at lunch.  Rose was down for a nap, and Angel had brought down the baby monitor and pulled the blinds in the kitchen to keep out the heat, as it was unseasonably warm.  He walked in and saw her sitting at the kitchen island reading a book.  “Where’s the baby?”   
“Down for a nap.  She did the cutest thing today-”

She was cut off by Daryl who had crossed the room and was kissing her mouth hungrily.  He started to unbutton her shorts, saying, “I really need ya, babygirl…”   
She unbuttoned his pants and pulled out his cock, then turned around and bent over the island.  Daryl hiked up one of her legs and entered her hard and deep.  They BOTH needed this.

He bit back a moan, knowing that with a baby in the house, they were gonna have to start keeping it down.  Angel whispered over her shoulder, “Harder baby, I need it too…”  He started to pound her, then they both froze when they heard a whimper on the baby monitor.  It was followed by silence.  Rose must have just been making sounds in her sleep.  They continued fucking, their skin slapping together being the loudest noise in the house.     
“Fuck Daryl!  You feel so good!”   
“Ya feel good too….gettin’ close, girl.”   
“Me, too.”   
Daryl reached over and yanked a chair over to put Angel’s leg on, then reached around and rubbed her clit hard and fast.  He felt her quiver around his cock and her legs start to shake, and wrapped his free arm around her waist.

Angel’s tight box squeezed him like a vise.  He heard her take a breath, and put his hand over her mouth.  Good thing.  Her whole body tightened up as she grunted and groaned, trying to be as quiet as possible.  They were definitely going to have to work on that.  She pulled her leg down from the chair and drew them tightly together, making it even tighter for Daryl.  He quietly hissed out, “Oh fuck!”  His balls tightened and he blew his wad inside of her, grunting quietly.  Collapsing against her, he said in her ear, “Just really needed to feel ya.”   
“I’m not complaining!  I tried really hard to be quiet.”   
“Well,” he said sliding his cock out of her and tucking it back into his pants, “practice makes perfect.”  Just as Angel picked up her shorts to put them back on, Rose started crying upstairs.  Daryl told her, “I got it,” and gave her a quick kiss before bounding up the stairs.     
She loved that she could hear him talking to Rose through the baby monitor, she was pretty sure he had no idea, it probably had never even crossed his mind.  Listening in, she heard him say, “Hey beautiful, what’s all the fuss?  Come here,” she could hear him lift her out of her crib.  “Now now.  Bet it’s ya teeth again.  Hmm.   Where’s that stuff...here it is.”  Daryl had found the Orajel and put some on her gums, and her cries died down to just whimpers.  “That better?  I appreciate ya waitin’ until mama and I was done violatin’ one another ‘fore ya started fussin’-”   
Angel shouted from downstairs, “Don’t tell her that!”  It took a second before Daryl realized she’d heard him on the baby monitor.  He picked it up off of the little table beside the crib and said into it, “Ah, breaker one-nine, this here's the Rubber Duck. You gotta copy on me, Pig Pen, c'mon?”  From the downstairs, he heard her call out, “Very funny, jackass!”  He snickered and put it back down at looked at Rose.  Her little green eyes were closing and she rubbed at them with a chubby fist.  “Ok, little girl.  Ya need to go back ta sleep for a bit for daddy, ok?”  He laid her back down and she was out like a light.  

Bounding back down the stairs, Angel was standing there with her arms crossed.  Daryl gave her a sheepish smile.  “Well, I figured if she ain’t gonna remember me cleaning her butt and showerin’ with her, she won’t remember me sayin’ I was violatin’ ya, neither.”  Angel chuckled.  “That’s true.  I guess it’s just the principal of the thing.  Let me heat you up some food for lunch.”  As she puttered around, she told him about what Rose had said.  He was stunned.  “Ya sayin’ she asked where I was?”   
“Seemed like it.”

Daryl caught a hint of sadness in her voice.  Rose still hadn’t said “mama”.  While Angel said it was ok, and that a lot of babies said “dada” first because it was easier, he knew she was a little heartbroken over it.  After all, she was Rose’s primary caregiver during the day, at least until they got the guard tower shifts straightened out.  And when Angel was gone, Daryl would play with Rose and kept saying to her , “Hey Rosie.  Say ‘mama’.”  But Rose would just keep playing and smile her little jack o'lantern smile at him.

He told her, “Angel, she’ll say it soon.  She’ll say mama.  She knows who ya are.”   
Sighing softly, she just said, “I know.”

Daryl went back to work.  Poor Angel.  Rose definitely knew that was her mama, and she’d say it eventually.  He made a quick detour out of the gates when he was done for the day and picked some flowers for her.  He came home and Angel was feeding Rose her dinner.  “Say hi to daddy, Rose!” Angel said.

Rose chanted, “Dadada!”

He pulled the flowers from behind his back and said in a somewhat shy voice, “I picked these for ya, Angel.”

Seeing her face light up made his day.  “Those are for me?” She asked, as if she didn’t believe it.

“Uh huh.  Ain’t too many left with the weather gettin’ colder, but I just wanted to do somethin’ nice for ya…”

Angel launched herself at him almost knocking him over.  She threw her arms around him and kissed him.  “Thank you, Daryl!  I love them!”

He turned red in the face, “It weren’t nothin’...”

“It is to me.”   
  
He took over feeding Rose her dinner so Angel could find the vase and put her flowers in it.  He snuck a look at her, with a big smile on her face, arranging her wildflowers the way she liked them.  If someone had told him years ago he’d not only be married, but to a doctor who was tough as nails when she needed to be, he’d have thought they were crazy.  And if they’d added that they’d have a little adorable red-headed adopted daughter that he would love like nobody else, he would have thought they were on crack.  

But here he was.   
Married to Angel.  Living in a house that was practically a mansion.  With a sweet little baby who called him dada.  And to top it all off, people liked and respected him.  He was a hard worker and a good asset to the town.  He’d never even dreamed about a life like this.  All his life, he’d just been a no good Dixon.  And now that name meant something else.  Strong.  Good.  Reliable.  Respectable.

 

Rose finished her dinner and they cleaned her up, then put her in her playpen so they could eat as well.  Daryl noted, “With her teeth comin’ in so fast, she’ll be able to eat with us real soon.  They comin’ in at the right speed?”   
“Yeah, once the first couple come in, it’s like a domino effect or something.  One day they have two teeth, the next morning they have five.  By the way, since Maggie is being taken off of active duty, she volunteered to watch Rose when we get back to a normal schedule.  At least until the baby comes.  And Mrs. Meyer said that she wouldn’t mind watching her here and there.”

“Wow….”   
“What?”   
“Gotta remember how I was raised, babygirl.  Nobody helped us.  We was on our own.  Now I got all these people who wanna help out.  Never thought I’d see the damn day.”  He picked up their plates and took them to the sink to rinse them off.  Angel walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around him.  “Being a Dixon is a good thing.”  He turned in her arms and kissed the top of her head, telling her, “Never thought I’d ever hear that, neither.” He held her tightly to him.

 

After some more time spent playing with Rose, Angel was off to her evening shift in the tower, and it was another quiet night.  Entering the house quietly, she went upstairs and was taking off her clothes when Daryl said, “I love watchin’ ya get naked.”

She laughed.  “I didn’t know you were awake.”   
“Yeah.  Can’t sleep without ya. Ya know that.”   
Angel climbed into bed and pulled Daryl on top of her.  “Is that so, Mr. Dixon?”   
“Sure is, Mrs. Dixon.”   
He started kissing her, then suddenly the baby monitor sprang to life with the sound of Rose crying.  Daryl dropped his head into Angel’s neck and let out a groan.  Angel laughed and told him, “Here, get off of me, I got it.”  He rolled off of her and she put on a robe and headed down the hallway to Rose’s room.  A dirty diaper was the culprit.  She changed her and sat with her for a few minutes in the rocking chair, humming softly.  Rose fell asleep, and Angel put her back in her crib and headed back to the bedroom.  Climbing into bed, Daryl mumbled, “Nice timin’, that kid,” and chuckled.    
“Oh just you wait,” Angel warned him.  “Pretty soon she’ll be in a normal bed and will come barging in in the middle of the night because she wants a drink of water.  Doesn’t even knock.”   
Daryl was quiet, then said, “Soon as she starts walkin’, we’re puttin’ a lock on that door.  The shit we do no kid don’t need ta see!”

 

A few days later, the guard tower situation was resolved.  Angel threw in a load of laundry.  She never realized how much laundry babies made, but they had to use cloth diapers.  Disposables were a huge luxury in this world, but she wouldn’t change it for anything.  She looked out the window.  They were having a little picnic over at Rick and Jessie’s, in their side yard.  Daryl was laying on his stomach on the ground, with Rose straddling his back.  She had become very interested in the wings on his vest lately, and she was touching and grabbing at them.  Meanwhile, someone had given Judith a cardboard tube from a roll of paper towels, and she was bopping Daryl on the head with it.  He would drop his head down like she'd knocked him out, and she’d throw back her head and laugh her sweet little laugh.  He’d pick his head up, and she’d do it all over again.

 

She headed back out to the picnic, and suddenly Rose turned to her and said, “Mama!”  Angel stopped dead in her tracks and they all got quiet, looking at the baby.  Even Judith seemed shocked.  Angel said, “What?  What did you say, Rose?”   
“Mama!  Mama!”  She lifted her chubby little arms to be picked up.

Angel picked her up and was almost in tears.  “Yes, baby!  I’m mama!”  Daryl stood up, hugging them both, and whispered in her ear, “Told ya she knew.  Told ya she’d say it.”  Daryl steered them away over to their own house, looking over his shoulder at Rick, who nodded in understanding.  They needed a few moments to be a family.

 

They sat down on the porch swing, Rose on Angel’s lap, babbling happily.  Daryl leaned over and kissed them both.  “See?” He said to Angel.  “I knew everythin’ would work out.”   
  


Angel had never believed in premonitions, but she had one at that moment.  She saw the army come, with not a cure, but a vaccine.  She saw the dead finally rot away to nothing, unable to attack the living anymore.  She saw other villages establishing trades with Alexandria.  She saw Rose, growing up to be a doctor, just like her mama.  She saw marriages and births and deaths happening.  She saw law and order be established.  She saw a world that was safe, and the walls of Alexandria come down.  And she saw herself and Daryl, old and gray, and still crazy about each other.

 

“Babygirl?  Hey, Angel, you ok?”  Daryl was asking her.  She turned and looked at him and smiled.  “Yeah, I’m ok….guess I just zoned out for a minute.”   
They sat there for a long time in the quiet, while the sun set.  She told him, “You know what?  We’re going to be ok.  The world is going to be safe again one day.  And we’re going to see it.”   
“Ya think so?”   
“I know so.”   
“Ya a gypsy fortune teller now?”   
Angel laughed.  “Maybe I always was.”

Daryl looked at his wife and child.     
His family.     
His life.     
His world.     
“Maybe ya are, babygirl.  Ya always were full of surprises.”   
  
**THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well folks, that's it. I'm a sucker for a happy ending, and I hope you are, too! I felt that Angel and Daryl's story had come full circle, and it was time to let them go. They both got everything they wanted: safety, love, and they kind of family they both desperately wanted, needed, and deserved.  
> Thanks for all the kind words. I hope if you haven't already, you will check out my other stories here, and follow me as I am working on THREE other stories: a Norman/OFC one, a Daryl/OFC one, and a Boondock Saints one! So you haven't heard the last of me!


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